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ANIMAL 

CURIOSITIES 



ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


‘By 

W. S. BERRIDGE, F.Z.S. 

Author of “Marvels of the Animal World,” etc. 



With Numerous Illustrations from 
Photographs by the t Author 


BOSTON 

SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 



Copyright, 1923 
By Small, Maynard & Co. 
(Incorporated) 


Printed in the United States of America 


PRESS OP GEO. H. ELLIS CO. (INC.) BOSTON 


m "2 '23 

©C1A704008 



PREFACE 


I T is hardly necessary to state that this book 
in no way purports to be a scientific 
treatise, the essays being written with a view 
to interest “the man in the street,” and to 
bring before his notice some of the many 
remarkable creatures that populate the earth. 

As an aid to the written word the service 
of the camera has been enlisted, and it is 
hoped that the illustrations accompanying 
the text will help the reader to visualize more 
readily some of the animal curiosities referred 
to in these pages. 

W. S. B. 


7 































CONTENTS 


CHAP. PAGE 

I The Voice of Animals . . . .15 

II Fish and their Nests .... 33 

III Unnatural Natural History ... 44 

IV Animals that change Colour ... 67 

V Birds with queer Beaks . . .77 

VI Animals and the Weather ... 88 

VII A Talk about Crabs .... 102 

VIII Frogs and Toads.120 

IX Luminous Animals.140 

X Squids, Cuttle-fish, and their Allies . 153 

XI Snails and Slugs.168 

XII Concerning Vultures . . . .186 

XIII No Eyes, and Multiple Eyes . . . 202 

XIV Animal Avocations. 217 

Index.249 


9 

























LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


TO PACE 
PAGE 

The Chimpanzee’s Top Note . . Frontispiece 

The Howler, the Noisiest of all Monkeys . . 16 

A Tuco-Tuco—Its Voice resembles the Sound Pro¬ 
duced by Beating upon an Anvil . . .16 

The Naked-throated Bell-bird remarkable for its 

Powerful Voice ...... 17 

The American Bowfin, that Utters Bell-like Sounds 17 

The Bull-snake, that Possesses a Powerful Voice . 17 

The Three-spined Stickleback makes a Muff-shaped 

Nest ........ 32 

The Paradise Fish, that makes a Nest of Bubbles 32 

A Pipe-fish ........ 32 

A Sea-horse . . . . . . .33 

The Chameleon, famed for its Colour-changing Powers 33 

An Arctic Fox in Winter Dress .... 64 

The Beak of a Hornbill is not so Heavy as it Looks 64 

The Toucan Possesses an Enormous and Brightly- 

coloured Beak ...... 65 

A Shoebill or Whale-headed Heron ... 65 

The Boat-billed Heron ..... 80 

The Spoonbill Possesses a Unique Type of Beak . 80 

The Bill of the Flamingo is unlike that of any other 

Bird.81 

The Greater Frigate-bird—both Mandibles of the 
Beak are Bent Downwards at the Tip . 

11 


81 



12 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


The Capacious Mouth of the Pelican . . 

A Curassow, with Curious Beak Decoration . 

Sam and Barbara, the Veteran Polar Bears at the 
Zoo. 

Johnny, the Famous Gorilla .... 

A Tawny Owl Basking in the Sunshine 

A Lemur Greeting the Rays of the Sun with Open 
Arms ........ 

The Northern Stone-crab ..... 

The King-crab, that Claims Kinship with the Scor¬ 
pions ........ 

The Squat-lobster, a Small Crab found in British 
Waters 

An American Bull-frog ..... 

The Indian or Tigrine Bull-frog .... 

A Barking-frog ....... 

White’s Tree-frog, from Australia. Its Green Skin 
Looks like Wax ...... 

The Edible-frog, the Hind Legs of which are regarded 
as Dainties ....... 

An Octopus, Showing the Suckers on its Arms . 

The Argonaut or Paper-nautilus .... 

A Squid or Sea-pen ...... 

The Cuttle-fish or Sepia ..... 

Eggs of Cuttle-fish—They Look like Black Grapes 
and Feel like India-rubber .... 

Egg Capsules of the Whelk ..... 

A Giant Snail and its Egg ..... 

An Abnormal Variety of the Common Snail . 

The Lammergeier or Bearded-vulture . 

Kolbe’s Griffon-vulture, called by the Boers the 
“ Aas-vogel ” or “ Carrion-bird ” . 

The Pondicherry or Eared-vulture . . 


PAGE 

88 

88 u 


89 

89 

112 


112 

113 


113 


113 

128 

128 

128 


129 


129 

160 

160 

161 

161 


176 

176 

177 
177 
192 


192 

193 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


13 


TO FACE 
PAGE 

The Egyptian Vulture, or “ Pharaoh’s Chicken ” . 193 

The Condor Vulture that has a Wing-spread of 

Nine Feet.. 208 ^ 

The Olm, or Proteus, that is quite Blind . . 208 

The Tuatera Lizard, that once Possessed Three Eyes 209 

The Cape Hunting-dog, an Expert Hunter . . 209 


CHAPTER I 

THE VOICE OF ANIMALS 


N otwithstanding that we commonly 

speak of the animals which populate 
the earth as “ dumb creatures,” yet, it is 
hardly necessary to state, the expression is 
by no means a correct one, for by far the 
greater number of them are able to denote 
their moods and feelings by means of vocal 
organs. 

Although it is difficult for human beings to 
interpret the meaning of the various cries 
uttered by animals, nevertheless we are not 
justified in assuming that they are unintelli¬ 
gible to other creatures. Indeed, we have 
only to observe a mother cat and her kittens, 
or a hen and her brood of young ones, to 
recognize that the parents are capable of 
giving warnings and commands by the use of 
their voices. 

With the exception of a few beasts such as 
the giraffes, the kangaroos, the armadillos, 
etc., the majority of mammals are endowed 

15 


16 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


with vocal powers, while the birds are especially 
gifted in such respect, many of them being 
experts at warbling and singing. Even among 
the reptiles we find that frogs, toads, certain 
snakes and lizards can produce vocal sounds; 
and quite a number of the fish, as well as many 
of the invertebrates, can give voice to various 
calls. 

To the popular imagination the roar of a 
lion is probably the most imposing sound 
uttered by any wild beast, but we are told by 
travellers and explorers that the roar of a 
gorilla is of a far more formidable nature, 
Du Chailla describing it as the most singular 
and awful noise to be heard in the African 
forests, and one that “ literally and closely 
resembles the roll of distant thunder.” 

The chimpanzee is another of the large apes 
that is able to produce a great volume of 
sound with its voice, and many of my readers 
may remember “ Sally ” who lived at the 
Zoological Gardens a number of years back, 
where she earned considerable fame by the 
intelligent manner in which she would perform 
tricks. One of her accomplishments was to 
“ sing ” at the command of her keeper, and 
although the noise she gave rise to when thus 
engaged was but a succession of yells and 
piercing cries that became louder and louder 



THE HOWLER, THE NOISIEST OF ALL MONKEYS. 

See p. 17 . 


# 



A TUCO-TUCO—ITS VOICE RESEMBLES THE SOUND PRODUCED BY 

BEATING UPON AN ANVIL. 


See p. 21 . 







THE NAKED-THROATED BELL-BIRD, REMARKABLE FOR ITS POWERFUL 

VOICE. 


See p. 24. 



THE AMERICAN BOWFIN, THAT UTTERS BELL-LIKE SOUNDS. 

See p. 26. 



THE BULL-SNAKE, THAT POSSESSES A POWERFUL VOICE. 

See p. 29. 












THE VOICE OF ANIMALS 


17 


as she proceeded with her task, and could 
hardly be regarded by mere man as a musical 
performance of much merit, yet possibly, 
from a simian point of view, she was a Melba 
of her kind. 

It is somewhat curious that many creatures 
are much more noisy at sunrise and sunset 
than they are during the rest of the day. The 
long-limbed apes known as the gibbons, for 
instance, greet the rising and the setting of 
the sun with a chorus of loud cries that can be 
heard for a distance of several miles, whereas 
during the daytime they go about their business 
in almost complete silence. 

It remains with the South American howlers, 
however, to claim the distinction of being the 
noisiest of all monkeys ; the males, in spite 
of their being little larger than a domestic 
cat, being endowed with a voice that is stated 
to be more powerful than that of any other 
living creature. 

From all accounts it appears that the howlers 
indulge in their vocal performances at intervals 
throughout the evening and night, and when 
once their concert has started they may 
continue to make the forest resound with 
their cries for several hours on end. 

Needless to say, the animals possess very 
efficient lungs, but this fact alone is not 

B 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


18 • 

sufficient to account for their ability to pro¬ 
duce the large volume of sound for which they 
are famous, and we find that, in addition, 
they are endowed with a series of air sacs or 
resounding chambers that extend along the 
front and sides of the neck, and serve to in¬ 
tensify the notes they utter. 

We are all of us familiar with those remark¬ 
able flying mammals called bats, but how 
many of us can state whether they ever give 
voice to any cry ? 

In all probability the majority of people 
are under the impression that they are quite 
dumb, but such is not the case, for even when 
on the wing they will emit cries which, however, 
are pitched in such a high key as to be quite 
inaudible to many human beings, although 
clearly heard by others whose power of hearing 
is more highly developed and attuned for the 
reception of such notes. 

Among the dog family we find the voice of 
the African hunting-dog is very peculiar and 
consists of three distinct cries, each of which is 
uttered on special occasions. When one of 
the creatures catches sight of a strange object 
that it is unable to understand, it gives vent 
to a short bark, but, according to a well-known 
naturalist and explorer, during the night-time 
“. . . when large numbers of them are together, 


THE VOICE OF ANIMALS 


19 


and are excited by any particular occurrence, 
such as being barked at by domestic dogs,” 
they produce a cry that “ resembles a number 
of monkeys chattering together, or men con¬ 
versing together when their teeth are chattering 
violently from cold.” 

Equally curious is the third sound the 
animal utters, this being said to resemble the 
second note of the well-known cuckoo’s 
cry. 

The most remarkable sound produced by 
any of the dog tribe, however, is that uttered 
by the spotted or laughing hyena, the beast, 
when in a state of excitement, giving forth a 
sequence of loud yells that have a weird re¬ 
semblance to the boisterous laugh of a human 
being. 

Every one who has visited Zoological Gardens 
will be familiar with the somewhat unpleasant 
and bark-like cry that the sea-lions indulge 
in when they desire to inform their keeper 
that the hour for feeding time is approaching. 
But the creatures are also able to give rise to 
a peculiar gurgling or rattling noise, accom¬ 
panying the performance by shaking their 
heads violently from side to side. 

The late Mr. Lydekker gives a very interest¬ 
ing description of the voice of the sea-bears 
or fur-seals, as those members of the sea-lion 


20 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


family are called that possess a layer of 
soft under fur beneath their external and 
coarser pelage, forming, when dressed, the 
once fashionable commodity known as “ seal 
skin.” 

He states that during the pairing season 
the males “ give vent to four distinct cries, 
namely, a hoarse, resonant, long and loud 
roar ; a low, gurgling growl; a kind of hissing, 
chuckling, piping whistle, which must be heard 
to be recognized ; and a kind of spitting sound 
and action, which is the most characteristic 
of all. The females, on the other hand, have 
only a kind of bleating cry, used merely 
to attract the attention of the cubs; while 
the call of the latter is still more sheep¬ 
like.” 

The American tapir is another animal that 
produces a whistling sound, the note being 
very shrill but not very loud when one considers 
the size of the animal responsible for its pro¬ 
duction. 

Passing to the elephant, we find that the 
creature is able to give voice to several distinct 
sounds, some of which are emitted through the 
agency of its trunk, while others are produced 
in its throat. 

The most familiar of all is that known as 
“trumpeting.” But the beast also utters a 


THE VOICE OF ANIMALS 21 

peculiar, deep-toned and rumbling noise that 
arises from the throat, and when pleased it 
will emit a most absurdly soft, squeaking 
sound through the trunk that reminds one 
of the notes produced by the toy animals 
associated with the nursery of our youth. 

The voice of cattle calls for no special 
comment except in the case of the yak which, 
instead of lowing and bellowing in the usual 
bovine manner, gives expression to a series 
of grunting calls, for which reason the animal 
is often spoken of as the grunting ox. 

Of the many species of rodents, the house 
mouse frequently displays considerable ability 
as a vocalist, certain individuals, known as 
“ singing mice,” being able to modulate their 
voices to an extraordinary degree. It is 
reported that a specimen kept by a lady as 
a pet was able to run up an octave when 
singing, and that it would often finish its 
vocal performance with a trill. When thus 
engaged it would vibrate and inflate its throat 
in the manner of a bird in song, and usually 
assume an upright posture upon its hind 
feet. 

Hailing from South America is a little 
rodent called by the name of the tuco-tuco. 

It is entirely subterranean in habits, and 
remarkable for its voice. Mr. Hudson writes 


22 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


in reference to the species: “... all day 

long sounds its voice, resonant and low, like 
a succession of blows from a hammer; as if 
a company of gnomes were toiling far down 
underfoot, beating on their anvils, first with 
strong measured strokes, then with lighter 
and faster, and with a swing and rhythm as if 
the little men were beating in time to some 
rude chant unheard above the surface.” 

Also belonging to the rodent family is a 
small animal, about the size of a guinea-pig, 
variously known as the pica, tailless-hare, 
mouse-hare, calling-hare or piping-hare; the 
latter term being given to the creature because 
of the curious chirping or whistling sound it 
gives vent to when feeding. It is mainly 
nocturnal in habits, and during the daytime 
lies concealed within a burrow or else between 
the crevices of a rock. 

Few people can claim a very intimate 
acquaintance with the whales and their kindred, 
therefore it is not surprising to note that the 
majority of human beings are under the 
impression that these aquatic mammals are 
unable to utter any cry. Such, however, is 
not the case, for certain whales are endowed 
with the power to produce vocal sounds, while 
the dolphin is able to emit a low murmuring 
noise. 


THE VOICE OF ANIMALS 


23 


It is also recorded that some porpoises, 
having ascended a river in Dorsetshire and 
finding their return barred by a fencing placed 
in the water, gave voice to the most distressing 
cries. 

In our review of the birds we find among 
them so many experts in the art of singing 
and whistling that it would be rash to proclaim 
any given species as being the most highly 
gifted in such respect. There can be little 
doubt, however, that from a popular point of 
view the nightingale has earned more fame as 
a songster than any other bird on account of 
its wonderfully clear voice and remarkable 
habit of warbling during the night. But it 
must not be assumed that this feathered 
songster confines its vocal performances solely 
to the night season, for it sings with equal, 
if not greater, vigour and sweetness during 
the daytime, although, of course, at such a 
time its melody is liable to be rendered less 
distinct owing to the volume of sound produced 
by other birds singing in the vicinity at the 
same time. 

Before proceeding further with our remarks 
upon the vocal power of birds, the writer feels 
it almost a duty to make a protest against the 
common custom of describing their songs by 
words, for unless one is already familiar with 


24 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


the sounds produced by any given species, 
the practice is absolutely valueless. 

Who would endeavour to teach the air of 
our National Anthem to anybody unacquainted 
with it by writing down the words of one of 
the verses ? 

Yet the usual bird-song formula of tweet- 
tweet, jug-jug, pink-pink, etc., is no more com¬ 
prehensible, and conveys no idea as to the 
musical notes the words are supposed to 
portray, or the key in which they should be 
pitched. 

Space does not permit of our mentioning 
more than a few of the more remarkable 
singing birds, but of these the bell-birds certainly 
claim special attention. Of the four different 
species, one of the best known is the naked- 
throated bell-bird, of which several examples 
have been exhibited at the London Zoological 
Gardens on various occasions, the first one 
arriving there in May, 1867. 

A fully-grown male may be compared in 
size to an adult blackbird. The colour of its 
plumage is entirely white, except for a few 
tiny black feathers that sprout from the other¬ 
wise bare skin of the throat which, during the 
pairing season, is of a pale green tint, as also 
is the skin around the eyes. 

The voice of the bell-bird is extremely loud 


THE VOICE OF ANIMALS 25 

and penetrating, so much so, indeed, that it 
is by no means pleasant for a person to have 
to stand close to one of the songsters when 
it is indulging in its musical performance. 
Heard at a distance, however, its notes are 
very pleasing, resembling as they do the clear 
and metallic toned ringing of a bell, or the 
sound produced by a blacksmith striking a 
piece of metal upon an anvil. 

The piping crows of Australia and Tasmania 
also possess remarkable vocal powers. 

In the majority of cases their song is a 
beautiful whistle, while in captivity they will 
readily learn to pipe tunes, and even become 
proficient at talking. 

A certain species, however, called by the 
Colonists by the name of “ organ-bird,” is 
peculiar in the fact that it utters notes re¬ 
sembling the noise produced by a hand-organ 
that has seen better days. 

Quite a number of birds can be taught to 
talk and whistle, one of the best known being 
the grey parrot. 

Cockatoos and macaws will also learn to 
imitate the human voice, and it is recorded 
that a green parakeet belonging to a soldier 
in India was able to speak words of three 
different languages, namely, English, Japanese 
and Hindustani. 


26 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


Other birds that indulge in the practice of 
articulating words are the tui or parson bird 
of New Zealand, the Indian hill mynah, 
the raven, the jackdaw, the jay and the 
starling. 

In regard to the latter, it is a common belief 
that the bird is unable to talk unless its tongue 
is slit at the top. 

Such, however, is not the case, for no bird 
talks with the aid of that member, but produces 
the various sounds it utters entirely from the 
lower portion of its windpipe. 

Among the fish there are a large number 
of different kinds that possess voices. The 
American bow-fin is an example that is able 
to produce bell-like notes, while the sapphire 
gurnard or tub-fish emits a grunting or crowing 
noise, for which reason it is frequently called 
the 44 sea-cock.” Then, again, Sir J. Bowring 
tells us that a fish known as the dog’s tongue 
( Cynoglossus ), a kind of sole, about four inches 
long, that is in the habit of attaching itself 
to the bottom of boats, produces a sound 
like that of a Jew’s harp struck slowly, 
though sometimes it increases in volume and 
resembles the full tone and sound of an 
organ. 

Darwin, moreover, reports that a catfish, 
found in Rio Parana and called by the name 


THE VOICE OF ANIMALS 


27 


of Armado, gives rise to a grating sound, when 
it is caught by hook and line, that can be 
heard distinctly even when the fish is beneath 
water. 

The horse mackerel or scad emits a noise 
that resembles the grunting of a hog, while 
the globe-fish, a remarkable species that has 
the power to inflate its body with air until 
it assumes the shape of a Rugby football, 
also produces a similar sound. 

The sunfish, a large fish sometimes found 
in British waters, is said to utter a distinct 
groan when it is removed from its native 
element, and the carp and the barbel will 
croak when treated in a similar manner. The 
Jewfish, found in the Gulf of Mexico, is reported 
to emit a booming sound, and some of the 
blennies are able to utter a cry that has been 
likened unto a shriek. 

Yet another vocal performer is the meagre 
which utters a humming sound, and when a 
number of the fish are found together the 
noise they produce is audible through a depth 
of over 120 feet of water. 

Passing to the reptiles and batrachians, we 
find that certain species are endowed with 
vocal powers, while others are dumb. 

Although many of the lizards can produce 
hissing sounds, and the geckos are capable of 


28 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


emitting loud noises that are said to be caused 
by the creatures striking their tongues against 
the roof of their mouths, yet few of them 
have a voice proper. Those, however, that 
do possess one, give rise to sharp and clear 
cries somewhat resembling the chirping of a 
cricket. 

The voices of frogs and toads are of a very 
varied nature, but most of them produce 
croaking sounds through the agency of vocal 
sacs which, in some instances, attain to a 
very large size when extended to their fullest 
extent. Indeed, so enormous is the inflated 
air pouch of the male European tree-frog that 
it almost equals the bulk of the creature’s 
body, and when a number of these frogs are 
croaking in unison their voices can be heard 
for a distance of several miles. 

The golden tree-frog of Australia is stated 
to utter a cry that resembles the sound 
produced by a stonemason wielding a mal¬ 
let and chisel, while at other times it will 
emit a sound like that made by cattle 
bells. 

According to Dr. von Ihering, the voice of 
another tree-frog from Tropical America sounds 
like a person rubbing his finger-nails over the 
teeth of a comb ; while the South American 
dwarf toad, during the pairing season, gives 


THE VOICE OF ANIMALS 


29 


voice to call notes that commence with two 
clear and ringing notes that are followed by 
a somewhat protracted and descending trill; 
the whole performance reminding one of the 
song of a greenfinch. 

Very remarkable are the vocal powers of 
the ceratophrys, barking-frogs or horned- 
toads as they are variously called. One of 
the better-known species is the ornamented 
ceratophrys (Ceratophrys ornata) of Southern 
Brazil and the Argentine, which grows to a 
length of about eight inches. When irritated 
or frightened, it inflates its body to an enormous 
size and then utters the most peculiar cries 
that closely resemble the wailings of a human 
baby. At other times it will give rise to 
barking sounds, and also produce deep-toned 
and bell-like noises. 

The common spade foot or toad-frog is also 
curious in the fact that it indulges in the habit 
of swelling out its body like a balloon and 
then gives voice to loud and shrill cries like 
those of a baby; while the Brazilian tree- 
frog (Hyla faber) utters a cry that may be 
compared to the sound produced by knocking 
a mallet against a copper plate. 

One would hardly imagine that snakes were 
endowed with voices, but certain species, 
notably the bull, pine or Say’s snake, and the 


30 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


Indian rat snake are able to produce a con¬ 
siderable volume of sound. 

Indeed, so powerful is the voice of the former 
reptile that its bellowing notes can be heard 
for a distance of a hundred feet. 

Of the many insect vocalists, the cicadas 
have earned considerable fame on account 
of their powerful voices. The song of the 
creatures was greatly appreciated by some of 
the ancient Greeks, and Virgil and other poets 
wrote verses in their honour. 

Xenarchus, however, does not appear to 
have shared the general enthusiasm for their 
musical performance, for he refers to the fact 
that only the males possess sound-producing 
organs and writes : “ Happy are the Cicada’s 

lives, for they all have voiceless wives.” 

A more modern writer, Dr. Shaw, in his 
book, Travels in Pennsylvania , complains 
that: “ . . . the cicada is perpetually stunning 
our ears with its most excessively shrill and 
ungrateful noise. It is, in this respect, the 
most troublesome and impertinent of insects, 
perching upon a twig, and squalling sometimes 
two or three hours without ceasing. . . .” 
Another writer refers to the penetrating nature 
of the insect’s voice and states that were one 
of the creatures to attain to the size of a human 
being, and supposing its voice were increased 


THE VOICE OF ANIMALS 


31 


in ratio to its enlarged size, its cries could be 
heard half over the world. 

A number of insects, such as the locusts 
and crickets, produce sounds by means of 
stridulating organs that work upon the principle 
of a bow and fiddle. 

Although the “ song ” of these creatures is 
of a very high-pitched and penetrating nature, 
yet the Indians of the Amazon valley have 
for long made a practice of keeping the former 
in cages in order to listen to their chirping. 

The Japanese also indulge in a similar 
practice in regard to crickets. These curious 
pets, known as Fuku-Moustu, or Happy Bell, 
are kept in small and exquisitely made wooden 
cages which are hung up in a room in the 
manner of a bird cage. As, however, the 
crickets only give full vent to their musical 
performance during the hours of darkness, 
it is difficult to understand how their vocal 
entertainment can be appreciated unless the 
listener be content to remain awake half the 
night. 

Among the beetles, that known as the death- 
watch or death-tick, a species that plays such 
havoc by burrowing narrow galleries through 
the timber of houses or in old furniture, gives 
rise to a curious ticking sound by knocking 
its hard mandibles against the wooden walls 


32 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


of its domain; while of the Lepidoptera, 
we have an example in the death’s head moth 
that is gifted with the power of uttering a 
squeaking cry, both the caterpillar and the 
moth itself indulging in the practice. 



THE THREE-SPINED STICKLEBACK MAKES A MUFF-SHAPED NEST. 

See p. 33 . 



PARADISE FISH, THAT MAKES A NEST OF BUBBLES. 

See p. 38 . 



A PIPE-FISH 


See p. 41. 









A SEA-HORSE. 

See p. 42. 



THE CHAMELEON, FAMED FOR ITS COLOUR-CHANGING POWER. 

See p. 67. 










CHAPTER II 

FISH AND THEIR NESTS 


LL fish, with the exception of a few species 



that are viviparous, lay eggs from which 
the young emerge; and although the majority 
of the parents pay little attention to the ova 
when once they have been deposited, yet, 
on the other hand, others build nests for 
their accommodation, and stand guard over 


them. 


Amongst British fish there are several kinds 
that are in the habit of constructing nests, the 
most familiar being the sticklebacks, of which 
there are three species. Two of them dwell 
in fresh water, and one inhabits salt or 
brackish water; the three-spined and the 
ten-spined sticklebacks favouring the former 
habitat, and the fifteen-spined stickleback the 
latter. 

The nest of the three-spined stickleback is 
composed of grass, fragments of floating straw, 
and fibrous pieces of aquatic plants. These are 
formed into a muff-shaped structure measuring 


33 


c 



34 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


about an inch in diameter, and held together 
by a fluid secreted by the fish’s kidneys. It is 
fashioned by the male with the aid of his mouth 
and snout, and rests upon the bed of a stream 
in shallow water. When all is ready, the 
female enters one end of the nest that has been 
left open by the male, and having deposited 
her eggs inside she makes an exit at the other 
end and passes out. 

When once the ova are laid in the nest, the 
male stands guard over them and ensures that 
they receive a sufficient supply of oxygen for 
their needs by gently fanning his breast fins 
backwards and forwards, thereby causing a 
continual supply of fresh water to circulate 
around the home and its precious contents. 
After a period of about ten days, the young, 
which are very small and so transparent as to 
be scarcely visible to the human eye, hatch 
out. 

The devoted father then becomes even more 
watchful than before, never leaving his charges 
night or day, and driving away all intruders. 
Only when the fry are sufficiently grown to be 
able to look after themselves does he relax his 
vigilance. 

The habits of the ten-spined stickleback are 
very similar to those of the foregoing, except that 
its nest is placed amongst foliage and roots of 


FISH AND THEIR NESTS 


35 


aquatic plants; but those of the marine 
fifteen-spined stickleback, or sea-adder, as it 
is sometimes called, are the most remarkable 
of all. The eggs are deposited by the female 
in the midst of some growing seaweed. The 
male then folds the branches around the ova, 
binding them up into an oval or pear-shaped 
mass by means of a gelatinous and somewhat 
elastic thread that he spins. This thread, 
which is no thicker than a strand of the finest 
silk, and quickly hardens when exposed to 
the action of the water, is woven in and out, 
and encircles the seaweed in all directions so 
that the eggs remain secure until the young 
are hatched ; the father watching over them 
until that event takes place. 

The goby is another fish found around our 
shores that is in the habit of providing a shelter 
or nest for the accommodation of its eggs. 
The male selects a cockle shell and, placing 
the convex side uppermost, proceeds to fix 
the lower edge to the sand by applying a 
secretion yielded from his skin that forms a 
cement. He then excavates a little tunnel 
leading beneath the shell, and renders the nest 
invisible to prying eyes by covering it over 
with a layer of sand. Within this novel home 
the female deposits her eggs, fixing them 
firmly to the interior of the shell. The male 


36 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


then keeps a vigilant watch over them until 
the young ones emerge; the incubation period 
varying from six to nine days. 

The three species of lampreys found in 
British waters, known respectively as the sea 
lamprey, the river lamprey or lampern, and 
the small lamprey, resort to the practice of 
excavating trenches or furrows in the soil 
of the river beds for the reception of their 
eggs. Should an individual come across a 
stone during the progress of its work, it lifts 
up the obstacle with the aid of its sucker like 
mouth and places it to one side. 

The spawning habits of the salmon are 
very similar to those of the lampreys inasmuch 
as the female makes a nest or “ redd ” in the 
form of a trench excavated in the bed of a 
river. There appears to be some difference 
of opinion, however, as to how the fish accom¬ 
plishes this work, some authorities stating 
that she employs her tail in the making of 
the trench, while others are of the opinion 
that the structure is formed by the pressure 
and wriggling of the lower part of her body 
against the underlying soil. When once she 
has deposited her eggs in the redd she covers 
them up with fine gravel, and, after a period 
varying from one hundred and twenty to 
one hundred and forty days, according to the 


FISH AND THEIR NESTS 37 

temperature of the water, the salmon fry hatch 
out. 

Few fish prove more devoted parents than 
the American bow-fin. At the approach of 
the spawning season the males and females 
pair off and resort to the shallow waters of 
their habitat for the purpose of preparing a 
nursery for their prospective family, a circular 
clearing being made amidst the rushes and 
reeds by breaking the stems asunder, or by 
biting through them with their sharp teeth. 
A shallow depression is then formed in the 
ground in the centre of the clearing, wherein 
the female deposits her eggs to the number of 
several thousand. The ova, which are quite 
small, develop very rapidly, the period of 
incubation being about seven or eight days. 
The male watches over the eggs and takes 
charge of the fry when they are hatched, 
keeping the latter together just as a shepherd’s 
dog herds a flock of sheep. 

The bow-fins, which feed upon insects and 
crustaceans, as well as upon other fish, are 
capable of living out of water for several hours 
on end. 

Of the two sexes the male grows to a length 
of about eighteen inches, while the female 
measures about twenty-four inches long. 

The eel-like Gymnarchus , one of the African 


38 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


beaked-fish, is a nest builder. By means of 
its sharp teeth it severs the stems of aquatic 
plants and constructs therewith a floating 
domicile measuring as much as four feet across. 
Within this shelter the young ones are born 
and pass the first three weeks of their lives. 
When fully grown the Gymnarchus attains to 
a length of six feet, or even more. 

Very remarkable nests are those made by 
the pretty little Chinese paradise-fish, the 
structures being composed of bubbles and 
mucus produced from the fishes’ mouths and 
formed into floating and bowl-shaped masses. 
After these fairy-like abodes have been com¬ 
pleted the males, which alone are responsible 
for their construction, collect the eggs laid by 
the females, seizing them in their mouths 
and placing them in the midst of the frothy 
mixture. 

They then stand guard over the ova, and 
from time to time blow fresh bubbles around 
them. Should any of the eggs happen to 
become detached from the nest, they are 
immediately replaced. 

The paradise-fish has long been domesticated 
in China, from whence it was introduced into 
Europe. It attains to a length of about three 
inches, possesses a large forked tail, and is 
very brightly coloured. Moreover, it is blessed 


FISH AND THEIR NESTS 


39 


with a very hardy constitution, for not only 
will it thrive and breed in very confined quarters, 
but, according to a well-known authority, it 
will “live in water strongly impregnated with 
acid.” 

The Siamese fighting-fish is another species 
that indulges in the practice of making a nest 
of bubbles. 

Found in Tropical and Southern America 
is a group of fish known as mailed cat-fish. 
They build nests, composed of grass and 
leaves, that are frequently placed above water 
within a muddy hole or depression in the soil 
situated at the edge of a pond or stream. 
Within this structure the eggs are laid, and 
when the young ones hatch out they make 
their way overland to the water, thus follow¬ 
ing the example set by their parents who, 
during the dry season when the waters of 
their habitat run low, make a practice of 
undertaking terrestrial journeys in order to 
reach fresh quarters that are more to their 
liking. 

Although not actually nest builders, another 
member of the cat-fish family, known as Arius, 
is worthy of special mention inasmuch as the 
male carries the eggs laid by the female in 
his mouth, where they remain until the young 
ones hatch out. 


40 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


During the incubation period the devoted 
father abstains from all food, and even after 
the fry are hatched he is always ready to offer 
them a haven of refuge in times of danger by 
opening his mouth and allowing them to 
enter. 

The remarkable habit of carrying the eggs 
in the mouth is by no means confined to the 
foregoing, for some perch-like fish belonging 
to the Cichlidae family indulge in a similar 
practice, although it is the females and not 
the males that nurse the eggs. With one of 
these, known in Egypt as the “ bolti,” the 
male prepares a nest for the accommodation 
of the female. Mr. C. A. Boulenger gives an 
extremely interesting account of his personal 
observations of this fish, published in the 
Proceedings of the Zoobgical Society . He 
writes : “ The nests are merely basin-shaped 

holes scooped out in the sand, usually among 
reeds or tamarish bushes. The largest one 
I saw measured just over a yard in diameter 
and one-and-a-half feet deep. I had the good 
fortune to be able to watch a bolti at work 
on one of these nests. The latter was nearly 
completed when I commenced my observations 
at the beginning of May, and was occupied by 
a large male; there were no signs of a female 
in the neighbourhood. The male remained 


FISH AND THEIR NESTS 41 

by himself in the nest during the two days I 
observed him, and was occupied chiefly in 
smoothing down the sides of the excavation ; 
this he did revolving round and round with 
his tail in the centre, brushing away dirt from 
the sides of the nest with his fins. On the 
third day I returned early to the nest and 
found it unoccupied. A short distance away, 
however, the same male was to be seen, now 
accompanied by a female.” 

In the Aspredo catrachus , also a member of 
the cat-fish family, the under surface of the 
female’s body becomes very soft and spongy 
during the spawning season. After laying 
her eggs, she presses upon them with the 
soft part of her anatomy so that they 
adhere to her body, in which situation they 
remain until the young ones are hatched 
out. 

The habits of the mailed tube-mouths 
( Solenostoma ), the pipe-fish of the genus 
Syngnathus , and the sea-horse (Hippocampus), 
are quite as extraordinary as those of any fish 
we have so far reviewed, for the creatures 
carry and incubate their eggs within the 
shelter of abdominal pouches. With the 
female of the former genus, the edges of the 
pelvic or breast fins unite with the skin of 
the under surface of the body, thereby con- 


42 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


stituting a baggy pouch from which numerous 
thread-like growths arise that serve the pur¬ 
pose of keeping the eggs securely held in their 
proper place. 

In the case of the above-mentioned pipe¬ 
fish, however, it is the males that are provided 
with a pouch, this being formed by folds of 
skin arising on either side of the body and 
tail, and joining underneath, except at the 
hindermost extremity where the entrance to 
the “ brood chamber ” is situated. This snug 
retreat not only serves as a receptacle wherein 
the young undergo their development, but 
also as a place of refuge for the newly hatched 
fry. 

Some of the pipe-fish, however, do not possess 
a pouch but merely a groove upon the under 
surface of their bodies, and even that may be 
absent in certain species. 

The male sea-horses of the genus Hippo¬ 
campus possess a pouch situated underneath 
their tails wherein to carry the eggs laid by 
the females, but others that are not thus 
endowed resort to the practice of embedding 
the ova in the soft skin of their caudal appen¬ 
dages. 

In conclusion, brief mention must be made 
of the spawning habits of the gunnel or butter 
fish, for after the female has laid her eggs she 


FISH AND THEIR NESTS 


43 


gathers them together in the form of a ball, 
and both parents, first the one and then the 
other, assist in the incubation by coifing 
their bodies around them. 


CHAPTER III 

UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 


HAT old beliefs die hard is well exemplified 



A in regard to Natural History, for, not¬ 
withstanding the much vaunted cry of advanced 
education at the present day, it is astonishing 
to note how many errors are still regarded as 
truths concerning the various members of 
the animal creation. Unfortunately, these 
misconceptions are often of a very mischievous 
nature, and many a harmless or even beneficial 
creature is unjustly maligned and persecuted 
without cause. 

Let us take the case of the slow-worm or 
blind-worm, for instance, a creature that is 
a boon to gardeners on account of its habit 
of feeding almost entirely upon slugs. Many 
people are under the impression that it is a 
snake whose bite is as dangerous as that of 
an adder, but in spite of its snake-like appear¬ 
ance the reptile is really a legless lizard, while 
it is extremely gentle, quite harmless, and 
never attempts to bite a person attempting 


44 


UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 45 


to pick it up. A ready means of distinguish¬ 
ing the creature from a snake is to look at 
its eyes which, unlike those of the latter, are 
furnished with eyelids. When a slow-worm 
dies the eyelids close, a fact that has probably 
given rise to the erroneous belief that the 
reptile is blind. 

Our common lizard is another creature 
that is supposed to be of a venomous nature, 
and not long since the farmers in Aberga¬ 
venny complained that they attacked their 
sheep, and suggested that the matter should 
be inquired into by the Ministry of Agri¬ 
culture. 

Snakes appear to be very popular subjects 
for misrepresentation, and it is quite a common¬ 
place to hear a person call the forked tongue 
of one of these reptiles its “ sting,” whereas 
that member does not possess any power of 
inflicting injury. Then, again, the manner 
in which a snake travels along the ground is 
often wrongly depicted in illustrated books. 
Frequently it is shown progressing with its 
body poised in vertical and wavy loops, but, 
in reality, the undulations are always in a 
lateral and horizontal plane, the under part 
of the creature’s body remaining in contact 
with the ground. Even the names of certain 
snakes are often associated with curious beliefs, 


46 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


the hoop-snake being said to hold its tail in 
its mouth and then roll along the ground like 
a hoop being trundled, while the garter-snake 
has been reported to be used by ladies for the 
purpose of holding up their hose. Another 
story still regarded as a probability by some 
people is that snakes enter houses by burrow¬ 
ing beneath the foundations and coming up 
inside the premises. 

The old story of toads being discovered 
alive after having been entombed for ages in 
the midst of a mass of coal, rock, or stone, 
without any communication with the air, 
crops up from time to time, and evidently 
still receives a certain amount of credence. 
Needless to say, no animal can survive without 
a supply of air, and although many reptiles 
can forego food for lengthy periods without 
suffering any ill effects, yet if this abstention 
is too prolonged, death ultimately ensues. 
It is true that toads are sometimes found alive 
and imprisoned within the cavities of rocks 
or some such situation, but when these 
instances have been investigated by com¬ 
petent authorities, it has always been found 
that a means of communication was present 
which admitted air, and even food in the 
form of insect life, although the fissure 
itself was not sufficiently large to allow 


UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 47 


the prisoner to escape from its enforced 
domicile. 

Mr. Buckland, in his well-known book, 
Curiosities of Natural History , gives an inter¬ 
esting account of experiments made by his 
father to demonstrate the falsity of the state¬ 
ment that toads could be entombed alive 
without air or food, and yet live for a number 
of years. He prepared two blocks of stone, 
one of sandstone and another of limestone, 
making twelve holes in each measuring about 
five inches in diameter. Glass lids, cemented 
along the edges with clay so as to render the 
enclosures impervious to air, were then placed 
over the top of the holes ; and into each ol 
these cells he introduced a live toad, and 
buried the stones beneath the ground to a 
depth of three feet. After an interval of 
thirteen months the stones were dug up and 
the imprisoned toads examined through the 
glass lids. Those which had been enclosed in 
the sandstone were dead, but those placed 
within the more porous limestone were still 
alive ; the small amount of air and moisture 
that permeated through the latter substance 
proving sufficient to sustain the inmates in a 
more or less torpid condition, while, moreover, 
it is more than probable that minute insects 
found their way through the limestone and so 


48 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


assisted the creatures to survive for so lengthy 
a period. The experiment, although revealing 
the remarkable vitality of the toads, proved 
conclusively that they cannot live without a 
supply of air. 

Another old belief in regard to a toad is 
that it possesses a jewel in the head, but this 
may be considered as a poetical allusion to 
the bright bronze tint of the creature’s 

eyes. 

Many strange stories of imaginary creatures 
have been handed down from ancient times. 
The basilisk, spoken of as the “ King of 
Dragons and Serpents,” was said to be able 
to wither up all vegetation with its breath, 
while its glance was fatal to man. As a means 
of protection against its deadly power, however, 
it was only necessary to hold a mirror before 
the monster with the result that its death- 
striking glances were reflected upon itself. 
Julius Caesar Scaliger, born in 1484, states :— 
“ Since some have suspected the stories of 
the basilisk are fabulous, I will write down 
what I have read in modern authors. When 
Leo was Pontifex Maximus there was found 
lodged under the arch near the Temple of Lucia 
a basilisk, by the breath of which Rome was 
afflicted with a terrible plague. . . In 1691 
G. C. Kirchmayer gives an even more remark- 


UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 49 


able story concerning the creature, stating:— 
“ They say the basilisk is born of a cock. 
The cock, when decrepit, brings forth an egg 
from which the basilisk springs. The egg 
must be placed in a warm heap of dung or 
hatching done by a repulsive toad. Then a 
chicken is hatched, which has a tail like a 
snake, but the rest of its body that of a cock.” 
The egg was said to have no shell, but to have 
a skin of such strength that it could withstand 
the severest blow. Another description of 
the basilisk represents it as possessing eight 
feet and two enormous scales for wings, 
while its head was surmounted with a 
“ Kingly crown.” In spite of the alarming 
appearance of the creature, we read that it 
would fly from the presence of a weasel or 
cock. 

The phoenix was another fabulous creature 
stated to exist in the days of our ancestors. 
It was reported to be a bird of enormous size, 
and the only individual in existence. The 
manner in which it managed to assure the 
continuity of its species was to reappear 
from its own ashes. That its span of life was 
supposed to be of considerable length may be 
judged by the writings of Pliny, who stated 
that it lived for 660 years. Herodotus, how¬ 
ever, considered that 540 years was the limit, 


50 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


while Seneca gives the figure at 500, and 
Albertus at 350 years. Pliny also tells us 
that the phoenix was regarded in Arabia as 
sacred to the sun. When it grows old it 
constructs a nest composed of cinnamon and 
thyme, filling it with scented herbs, and so 
soon as this is completed the giant bird reposes 
upon it and dies. We are further told that a 
creature like a worm arises from its bones and 
marrow, from which, in turn, comes a fowl. 
This, as its first act, performs the funeral rites 
of the worm, after which it flies off with 
the nest to near Panchaja, a city of the 
sun, where it places its burden upon the 
altar. 

Ovid says that its tears are of incense 
and its blood of balsam, while another nar¬ 
rator tells us that when the bird felt its 
span of life was drawing to a close it flew 
up into the air to such a great height that 
the heat from the sun burnt its body to 
ashes. 

Although the unicorn is familiar to everyone 
on account of its association with the Royal 
Coat-of-Arms, yet according to the ancients 
it was once a living creature that had the 
misfortune to perish in the great flood. 
Described as a four-footed and untamable 
animal, about the size of a horse, and pos- 


UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 51 


sessing a long single horn sprouting from its 
forehead, the unicorn was said to inhabit the 
wild regions of Syria, Arabia, Ethiopia and 
India. 

If the horn of one of these creatures was 
thrown into hot water, it caused bubbles to 
rise to the surface ; while a ready means of 
distinguishing a genuine from a spurious one 
was to inscribe a circle upon the ground with 
the tip, and then place a lizard, spider or 
scorpion within the magic ring. Should the 
horn be that of a unicorn the creatures did not 
endeavour to escape, but otherwise they 
promptly ran away. 

Dragons have always been a fruitful source 
of tales, both in ancient mythology and in 
more modern fairy tales, and it is recorded 
that on October 16, 1691, a flying serpent, 
having been killed with much difficulty by a 
hunter, was brought from Rome. 

Then, again, the sea-serpent is another 
creature that has inspired many people to 
give glowing accounts of gigantic monsters 
capable of swallowing ships, but we have 
yet to await any reliable evidence that such 
an animal exists. Pliny, Olaus Magnus and 
Denys de Monfort all give remarkable descrip¬ 
tions of the sea-serpent, the latter, whom a 
modern writer designates as “an accomplished 


52 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


liar, with an imagination worthy of better 
things,” giving an account of one of these 
creatures which raised its head above water 
to such a great height as to overtop the masts 
of the ship he was in. 

Of later records that have been handed down 
of these monsters, we read that in 1848 a 
captain of a ship saw a gigantic sea-serpent 
of which over sixty feet of its length was 
visible to the eye; while in 1875 another 
individual appeared from the depths of the 
ocean and proceeded to encircle its body 
around a whale that happened to be in the 
vicinity, the victim being crushed to death 
in the serpent’s coils, and the breaking of its 
ribs producing loud cracking sounds. It is 
also recorded in The Animal World that in 
1877 the officers and crew of H.M. yacht 
Osborne forwarded a report to the Admiralty 
that on June 2 of that year they saw a huge 
serpent swimming in the water off the coast 
of Sicily. Its length was stated to be about 
150 feet, and its head was like that of an 
alligator. It measured twenty feet across 
the shoulders, and its back was surmounted 
by a row of fins. What was the real nature 
of the creature is difficult to say, and although 
it is not impossible to conceive that unknown 
forms of sea monsters may exist at the pre- 


UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 53 


sent day, yet the majority of sea-serpent 
stories, at all events, must be regarded 
as “ terminological inexactitudes ” which 
can only be received with a “ pinch of 
salt.” 

A very peculiar story, regarded as true in 
days gone by, was that of the Barbary Lamb, 
a creature supposed to be half animal and 
half vegetable, this remarkable freak being 
figured in old woodcuts as a lamb-like animal 
hanging from the branches of a tree with the 
posterior end of its anatomy enclosed in 
foliage. 

Of an equally sensational nature is the 
story of the barnacle-goose, a bird that was 
said to originate from ship-barnacles. That 
the story was accepted as genuine by people 
of intelligence may be judged by stating that 
Sir Robert Moray, first President of the Royal 
Society, read a paper at a meeting of that 
body in 1661 in reference to the bird’s remark¬ 
able evolution ; while one writer even went so 
far as to state that he had observed barnacles 
fall from the face of rocks, and then gradually 
change into geese. It appears that the monks 
living at that period had no difficulty in 
accepting the mysterious nature of the barnacle- 
goose, and as the bird was considered to be 
neither flesh or born of flesh, it was therefore 


54 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


entitled to be classified as a fish, and eminently 
suitable for serving at table on fast days. 
Pope Innocent III, however, put an end to the 
popular habit of feasting upon the bird on 
days of abstinence, proclaiming that it could 
not be regarded as being otherwise than a 
bird. 

One has only to glance through old books 
to find that many superstitious beliefs in regard 
to animals flourished in the days of our 
ancestors ; and even at the present time they 
still retain a firm hold in the minds of many 
people, as instanced by the popular belief 
that it is unlucky to keep a peacock’s feather 
in the house. 

By some folk in Scotland snails are sup¬ 
posed to be endowed with the power of fortune¬ 
telling, and we read in Hone’s Everyday Booh 
that: “ The month of May has always been 

deemed peculiarly favourable for supernatural 
appearances. No one will marry in May ; but 
on the first morning of that month, maidens 
rise early and gather Maydew, which they 
throw over their shoulder in order to propitiate 
fate in allotting them a good husband. If 
they can succeed by the way in catching a 
snail by the horns, and throwing it over their 
shoulder, it is an omen of good luck ; and if 
it is placed on a slate, then likewise it will 


UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 55 


describe by its turnings, the initials of their 
future husband’s name.” 

It was also said of the greatly maligned 
toad that a person would die should he eat a 
leaf of a tree beneath which one of the creatures 
had burrowed, while to handle a living one 
would cause the venturesome person to have 
a violent attack of cramp. Should, however, 
a horse, cow, or sheep have cramp or a sudden 
illness, the cause of the malady was believed 
to be due to a shrew having crawled over the 
victim, and in order to give relief to the sufferer 
it was necessary to, place a leaf plucked from 
a shrew-ash upon the affected part—the shrew- 
ash being an ash tree that had been specially 
medicated by having a hole bored in its trunk 
with an auger, and a live shrew imprisoned 
within the cavity. When once a tree had 
been prepared in this manner, its healing 
properties were said to last for ever. 

Another method by which shrew-struck 
horses were treated was to drag the animal 
through the enclosed area made by a branch 
of a bramble, the upper end of which had bent 
down and taken root again in the earth. That 
the shrew was regarded with much disfavour 
in the past may be judged by quoting the 
words of Topsell, who states: “ It is a ravenous 
beast feigning itself gentle and tame, but 


56 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


being touched it biteth deep and poysoneth 
deadly. It beareth a cruel minde, desiring to 
hunt anything, neither is there any creature 
that it loveth.” 

Quite a number of errors and exaggerated 
statements have found their way into print 
in regard to the habits of wild animals, not 
the least remarkable being the story of the 
mongoose entering the throat of crocodiles 
in order to kill the reptiles. Then, again, we 
read that the ibex hurls itself from the pre¬ 
cipitous rocks of its habitat into the valleys 
beneath, saving itself from injury by alighting 
upon its horns, the elasticity of which absorbed 
the shock. 

In a like manner the hedgehog is said to 
utilize its spiny armament as a buffer when 
falling from a height. 

The old story of the porcupine shooting out 
its quills at an adversary, thus emulating the 
deeds of an archer, is a fable that is still believed 
by many people ; the misconception probably 
having arisen owing to the fact that a loose 
quill may be jerked out when the animal 
suddenly erects its prickly armour. 

Yet another instance of a perversion of the 
truth is the story concerning the nesting 
habits of the flamingo. As is well known, 
the bird constructs a cone-shaped nest, made 


UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 57 


of mud and measuring a foot or more in height, 
upon the summit of which the female deposits 
her eggs. “ When the bird is sitting,” to 
quote from a popular Natural History book 
published less than a score of years back, 
6 4 she has her legs stretched out behind, hang¬ 
ing in the air (that is to say, unsupported), 
like the arms of a man when he puts them 
behind his back and throws his shoulders 
forward ”; while another variety of this fic¬ 
tion is to the effect that the bird straddles 
across her nest and reposes upon the top 
with her long legs dangling one on either 
side. 

As a matter of fact there is nothing unusual 
about the nesting habits of the flamingo, and 
when incubating her eggs the female squats 
down upon them, and folds up her legs beneath 
herself. 

The tails of animals appear to have been 
a source of inspiration for imaginative writers 
to exercise their gifts upon, and it has often 
been stated that the beaver uses its caudal 
appendage as a sort of mason’s trowel for the 
purpose of constructing the mud walls of its 
dam. The lion has also been credited with 
the habit of utilizing its tail for the purpose 
of lashing itself into a state of fury, the small 
and spur-like nail situated upon the end of 


58 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


that member, and concealed by the tuft of 
hair, serving as a scourge. That the tail of 
a lion, however, should be used as a weapon 
of offence is an even more remarkable belief, 
but one person, at all events, was labouring 
under that delusion, for the writer once heard 
a working-man remark to his wife as they 
stood before the cage of a lion at the Zoo, 
“ Just fancy him being able to kill a man with 
a blow of his tail.” 

Mention must be made of the mermaid 
concerning which much has been written in 
the past. Valentyn, a Dutchman, states that 
during a storm in the year 1404 a mermaid 
was driven through a hole made in the dyke 
at Edam, and was subsequently captured. 
She was taken to Haarlem, and the womenfolk 
took such an interest in her that they taught 
her to spin. Her education proceeded apace, 
it seems, judging by the report that she died 
several years afterwards in the Catholic Faith. 
The same authority also tells us that in 1653 
a lieutenant was leading some soldiers along 
the sea-shore in Amboina when they suddenly 
espied a mermaid with long, flowing and 
greenish-grey hair disporting herself in the 
waters; while Albert Herport records the 
appearance of both a merman and a mermaid 
together in the water; and in 1714 another 


UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 59 


mermaid was stated to have been captured 
near the Island of Boors. 

What type of creatures these supposed 
mermaids and mermen really were it is difficult 
to state ; but it has been suggested that the 
dugong or manatee has given rise to many 
of these old stories, the shape of the animal’s 
body resembling to an imaginative mind the 
outline of a human form, while the manner 
in which the female clasps her young one to 
her breast with one flipper, and swims about 
by means of her disengaged limb, at the same 
time keeping her own and her baby’s head 
above water, adds to the illusion. So-called 
mermaids and mermen are not infrequently 
exhibited by travelling showmen, but these 
are fakes which usually take the form of 
stuffed or dried specimens of fish with varying 
embellishments attached, such as representa¬ 
tions of human heads. 

Many old beliefs are of a very humorous 
nature, and the ancient fallacy that the elephant 
had no joints is, to say the least, somewhat 
astonishing. Owing to its supposed unfor¬ 
tunate condition the creature was unable to 
he down, so in order to rest its ponderous 
frame it was forced to sleep with its body 
leaning against a tree. This method of repose, 
however, was not without its disadvantages, 


60 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


for hunters, seeing the animal fast asleep, 
would creep up to the tree and saw through 
the stem, with the result that the elephant 
came toppling to the ground and was unable 
to get up again. 

Equally extraordinary was the fable con¬ 
cerning the badger. In an old dictionary 
the following description is given of the 
creature: “ Badger (also called Bawsin), a 

wild four-footed beast somewhat larger than 
a fox, and resembling a hog and a dog. It 
dwells in burrows, lives on insects, carrion, 
and fruit, stinks very much, fattens by 
sleeping, and shows its age by the number 
of holes in its tail, one being added every 
year.” 

Then we have the poetical type of Natural 
History fairy-tale, of which an excellent 
example is that concerning the argonaut or 
paper-nautilus, a creature which belongs to 
the mollusc family, dwells in a shell, and 
possesses eight mobile arms, two of which 
terminate in flattened expansions. According 
to report the argonaut utilized its shell as a 
boat, its body reposing inside, and six of its 
arms being thrust outside and used as oars, 
while the two specially developed ones were 
held aloft and employed as sails. Unfortu¬ 
nately, this charming story is not based upon 


UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 61 


fact, the creature progressing by discharging 
water through a tubular organ known as a 
siphuncle, and thereby forcing itself back¬ 
wards through the water. 

That insects have fallen victims to many 
false reports is not surprising when one con¬ 
siders that they are generally regarded as 
objectionable creatures by the majority of 
people. A harmless moth, known as the 
death’s head on account of the skull-like 
pattern on its head, has been held responsible 
for causing an epidemic of disease, while the 
death-tick or death-watch beetle has the evil 
reputation of foretelling the death of human 
beings, notifying the approaching event by 
giving rise to a tapping sound. This noise 
is produced by the creature knocking its head 
against the decayed timber of houses or old 
furniture wherein it ensconces itself and, 
instead of being an omen of bad fortune, is 
merely the natural manner by which the 
insect signals to its mates. 

The earwig is another much-maligned crea¬ 
ture, popular opinion crediting it with the 
habit of entering the ears of human beings. 
It receives its name, derived from two Saxon 
words, namely ear, a bud, and wigga, a worm, 
owing to the creature’s habit of concealing 
itself in the buds of flowers, and is in no way 


62 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


associated with a propensity for exploring 
the auditory organs of mankind. 

Although it is hardly necessary to state 
that a whale is a mammal and not a fish, yet 
a considerable degree of misconception appears 
to prevail in regard to its habit of “ blowing ” 
or “ spouting.” It is frequently stated that 
the creature, when thus engaged, ejects a 
spout of water from its nostrils, whereas, in 
reality, it merely expels its breath before 
making a fresh inspiration, the air thus dis¬ 
charged from its warm body becoming condensed 
as it comes into contact with the cold atmo¬ 
sphere, and forming an ascending jet of 
vapour. Should, however, the whale commence 
to blow while its nostrils remain just below the 
surface of the ocean, as frequently happens, 
a small proportion of water will be forced 
upwards and become mingled with the 
vaporized breath. 

In former days it was believed that the 
chameleon lived on air alone, while the sala¬ 
mander was supposed to be able to exist in the 
midst of fire, and even to be evolved from 
very intense heat. Then, again, the vampire 
bat has been credited with the habit of sucking 
the blood of human beings while they sleep, 
the creature fanning its victims with its wings 
in order to induce them to slumber more 


UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 63 


heavily. Yet another fallacy is that the 
cuckoo sucks birds’ eggs to keep its voice 
clear, while many country people declare 
that the mole can live for a considerable 
time without breathing, thereby enabling it 
to survive when floods invade its under¬ 
ground domicile. Possibly, however, these 
people have overlooked the fact that the 
creature is able to swim, so that there would 
be no need for it to exercise its reputed 
powers. 

The tench has been the subject for many 
fishy stories, for not only was it supposed to 
be immune against all kinds of diseases, but 
it was also regarded as possessing the power 
to heal the maladies of other fish, as well as 
those of human beings, by rubbing its slime- 
covered body against the sufferers. This 
story, however, is outrivalled by the statement 
that swifts hibernated under water during 
the winter months. 

Many people are under the impression that 
monkeys are usually infested with fleas, but 
as a matter of fact they are quite innocent 
of harbouring vermin unless confined in dirty 
quarters. Their energetic toilet, that in¬ 
variably gives rise to much merriment in the 
beholder, is not undertaken for the purpose of 
ridding their coats of fleas, but in order to 


64 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


procure the minute particles of scurf which 
adhere to their skin, and have a salty flavour 
which greatly appeals to the taste of the monkey 
folk. 

Then, again, our ancestors believed that 
the various members of the crane family 
made a practice of carrying stones in their 
beaks during their migratory flights in order 
that they should be prevented from uttering 
their scream-like cry and thus reveal their 
presence to birds of prey. It was also stated 
that the birds placed sentinels at night to act 
as guards while the other birds slept, the 
watchers standing upon one leg and clasping 
a stone in the disengaged foot. Should a 
sentinel get drowsy he would involuntarily 
relax his grip upon the stone, which would 
then fall to the ground, the noise thereby 
produced causing the bird to wake up 
and, it is to be hoped, increase his vigil¬ 
ance. 

A very common misconception in regard to 
the crane is that the long feathers of the wing 
tips constitute the bird’s tail, whereas, in 
reality, the tail feathers proper are com¬ 
paratively short and entirely concealed by 
the former when the wings are closed. In 
a like manner the feathers that form the 
peacock’s train are usually designated its tail. 




THE BEAK OF A HORNBILL IS NOT SO HEAVY AS IT LOOKS. 


See p. 79. 









THE TOUCAN POSSESSES AN ENORMOUS AND .BRIGHTLY COLOURED BEAK. 

See p. 80 . 



A SHOEBILL OR WHALE-HEADED HERON. 

See p. 81 . 






UNNATURAL NATURAL HISTORY 65 


but the real tail feathers he beneath, and act 
as a support to the longer train-feathers, 
more especially when the bird is indulging 
in its display. 

The wren has for long been associated with 
many curious beliefs, both by the ancient 
Greeks and Romans, as well as by more modern 
people. The country-folk in parts of Brittany 
believe that if their children touch the young 
birds in their nests they will be punished for 
so doing, and stricken with a malady known 
as “ the fire of St. Laurence,” which appears 
in the form of pimples on the face and legs. 
In other regions of France it is stated that if 
a person kills a wren, his fingers shrivel up and 
ultimately drop off, or, as an alternative, his 
house will be struck by lightning, or his cattle 
have sore feet. 

Mention must be made of the popular error 
that the land-tortoises, so frequently sold by 
hawkers, are useful for the purpose of ridding 
gardens of slugs, and kitchens of beetles, 
whereas they are entirely vegetarian in diet. 
The flat-shelled water-tortoises or terrapins 
are, however, carnivorous. 

Yet another common mistake is that a 
camel has two humps and a dromedary but 
one, and although this supposition is correct 
to a certain degree, it must be pointed out 


66 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


that there are both one and two-humped 
camels, and only the better breeds of the 
former, that are specially trained for riding 
purposes, are called dromedaries. 


CHAPTER IV 


ANIMALS THAT CHANGE COLOUR 



HE power to change colour is a gift that 


Nature has bestowed upon various 
animals, including amongst their numbers both 
mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish ; but none 
of them has achieved such fame in this respect 
as the chameleon. 

Although popular opinion has credited this 
creature with the faculty of changing from 
one colour to another in a few seconds, yet, 
in reality, the transformation is quite a gradual 
process. It is brought about by the con¬ 
traction or expansion of numerous cells situated 
under the animal’s skin, which are arranged 
in layers, and contain different coloured pig¬ 
ments ; the tint of the chameleon depending 
upon how many of these layers are brought 
into use at any given time, and the extent to 
which the individual cells are opened or closed. 
The phenomenon is largely governed by the 
emotions of the creature, and is influenced 
also by fight and temperature; a low tem- 


67 


68 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


perature and a subdued light inducing it to 
assume pale tints, while a powerful light and 
a high temperature has just the reverse effect. 
The more usual colours exhibited by the 
animal are varying hues of green, yellow, and 
brown; but patches of pink, salmon, and 
orange tints may be present at times. 

Apart from its colour-changing habits, the 
chameleon is remarkable in many other ways. 
The eyes, for instance, work within their 
sockets upon the cup and ball principle, and 
each one can be moved independently, so that 
the creature has the power to look in front and 
behind, or above and below itself at the same 
time. The hands and feet are divided into 
two separate, opposable, and flap-like portions ; 
the digits of the fore limbs numbering two 
on the outer and three on the inner section, 
and those upon the hind limbs being arranged 
in just the reverse manner. The tongue, 
which is furnished with a club-shaped and 
sticky growth at its extremity, is so long that 
the creature can project it beyond its mouth 
for a distance exceeding the length of its own 
body ; while to add to these many peculiar¬ 
ities, the long tail is of a highly prehensile 
nature and serves as a fifth grasping organ, 
enabling its owner to cling to a branch or 
twig with great tenacity. 


ANIMALS THAT CHANGE COLOUR 69 


Several of the lizards are able to effect a 
transformation in the colour of their skin, 
one of the most notable being the variable 
lizard found in India, Ceylon, Southern China 
and the Malay Peninsula. When excited, the 
reptile expands its throat and changes the 
colour thereof from a pale yellowish tint to 
an intense scarlet hue, for which reason it is 
frequently called by the name of “ blood¬ 
sucker.” 

The Carolina or red-throated anolis is also 
capable of changing colour ; indeed, its power 
in such respect is even greater than that of 
the chameleon. Normally the lizard is of a 
bright green tint, but sometimes it assumes 
greyish and brown hues under the influence 
of certain conditions of light and temperature. 
When aroused by anger it distends the dewlap 
upon its throat, which then turns bright red 
in colour. 

The phenomenon of colour transformation 
is by no means unusual among the frogs, and 
even our common species is able to alter the 
tint of its skin. Sir Joseph Lister records 
having taken from the recess of a rock a 
specimen which was almost black in colour, 
but after he had placed it in the sunshine upon 
a flagstone, it gradually changed to a dusky 
yellow tint, mottled with dark spots. On 


70 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


being returned to its former situation the 
creature then reverted to its original colour 
after an interval of a quarter of an hour. 

The European tree-frog is another example 
which changes its colour according to its 
surroundings, for when reposing upon the 
earth, or amidst dead leaves, it is of a brown 
tint, but when it sits upon growing foliage 
it assumes a bright green livery. 

Even more remarkable is the behaviour 
of Gough’s tree-frog, from Trinidad, which 
undergoes the most wonderful transformations 
of colour. Sometimes an individual may be 
brown upon the back, at other times yellow 
or grey; while, moreover, the anterior half 
of the creature may be of a different hue from 
the posterior half, or the left side of a different 
colour from the right side. The skin may also 
be decorated with various coloured designs, 
sometimes in the form of an hour-glass, and 
at other times as cross-bars, and even both 
together, these patterns rapidly appearing 
and disappearing. 

Then, again, in reference to the colour¬ 
changing habits of yet another species of tree- 
frog, Sir Emerson Tennent states: “ One 

of these beautiful little creatures, which had 
seated itself on the gilt pillar of a lamp on my 
dinner-table, became in a few minutes scarcely 


ANIMALS THAT CHANGE COLOUR 71 


distinguishable in colour from the ormolu 
ornaments to which it clung.” 

Passing to the fish, we find that certain kinds 
have the power to appear in various coloured 
liveries. The tench is an expert in adapting 
itself to its surroundings, for whereas it assumes 
an almost uniform yellowish-green tint when 
dwelling in clear water, yet if that element 
be dark or muddy it becomes almost black 
upon the upper part of its body, and some¬ 
what lighter below. 

Many other of our well-known fish are able 
to change their colour, and in reference to 
this fact Mr. A. H. Cocks, in a letter to the 
Zoologist , writes : “I have not forgotten my 
astonishment . . . when, having temporarily 
placed a mixed lot of fish (roach, dace, gudgeon, 
and probably two or three other species . . .) 
in a white bath, where they were, of course, 
very conspicuous, I found, after a short time 
(perhaps less than an hour, but certainly 
under two) that they had become quite pale 
and inconspicuous.” 

The Japanese fighting-fish will transform 
their normally dull-coloured hues into dazzling 
metallic tints when aroused by anger ; while 
golden and red transverse bands will appear 
upon the bodies of the pretty little paradise 
fish under the influence of sunlight, whereas 


72 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


if they be placed in dark or muddy water 
they become of a brown hue. 

Minnows, sticklebacks, and trout also have 
the power to alter their colour to suit their 
habitat. 

The late Mr. Buckland relates that a certain 
fishmonger of his acquaintance was able to 
tell the locality from whence the trout dis¬ 
played in the latter’s shop came, by their 
colour alone; and in a like manner a fish¬ 
monger at Billingsgate professed to be able 
to judge from which part of the coast the 
various fish were procured. 

There can be no doubt that the colour of 
the waters wherein fish live has a distinct 
bearing upon the tint of their bodies. Trout 
which dwell in clear and fresh water are bright 
in colour, while those found amidst waters 
that have become discoloured by peat are 
dull and almost black. It has also been 
observed that the fish that resort to the deeper 
parts of a river are of a darker colour than 
those that frequent the shallows. 

It is interesting to note that the silvery 
appearance common to so many species of fish 
is due to the presence of numerous and very 
small crystals which repose upon the scales. 
The bright red, blue, and green colours, how¬ 
ever, that decorate the bodies of other fish, 


ANIMALS THAT CHANGE COLOUR 73 

arise from coloured oils that reside in cavities 
situated beneath the skin, and change their 
position according to the mental state of the 
fish, or under the influence of its surroundings. 

The octopus is another creature that has 
the power to alter its colour. Darwin states : 
“ They appear to vary their tints according 
to the nature of the ground over which they 
pass ; when in deep water, their general shade 
was purplish-brown, but when placed on the 
land, or in shallow water, the tint changed 
into one of greenish-yellow. The colour, 
examined more carefully, was a French grey, 
with numerous minute spots of bright yellow; 
the former varied in intensity, the latter 
entirely disappeared and appeared again by 
turns. These changes were effected in such 
a manner that clouds, varying in tint between 
a hyacinth-red and a chestnut-brown, were 
continually passing over the body.” 

Among the Crustacea we have an example 
in the common prawn that is able to alter its 
colour from a dark to a light tint so as to 
render itself as inconspicuous as possible amidst 
its surroundings. iEsop’s prawn (Hippolyte 
varians), however, is far more remarkable, 
for not only does it assume various colours 
such as green, red and brown, in order to 
harmonize with its habitat, but it indulges 


74 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


in periodic changes during day and night. 
Messrs. Keeble and Gamble in their description 
of the species, tell us that “ every evening, as 
darkness comes on, Hippolyte gradually loses 
its distinctive diurnal colour. In summer 
this change begins at about 9 p.m., in winter 
about 5 p.m. . . ., as darkness falls Hippolyte 
is seen to become of a wonderful azure blue 
colour and absolutely transparent, except in 
the region of the liver and stomach. . . .” 

A quite distinct phase of colour transforma¬ 
tion to that which we have so far reviewed is 
the seasonal change that takes place in 
certain animals. 

Among the mammals that are thus in¬ 
fluenced, the stoat may be taken as a typical 
example. During the summer its fur is mostly 
of a brown tint, but in the colder part of its 
habitat the pelage of the creature changes to 
white at the approach of winter, the tip of 
the tail, however, remaining black at all 
seasons. 

It is a curious fact that, although the animal 
grows a new coat in the autumn, it is not always 
the case that the change in the colour of the fur 
coincides with the actual shedding of the same, 
a great deal depending upon the atmospheric 
conditions at that period. For instance, 
should the weather be somewhat warm when 


ANIMALS THAT CHANGE COLOUR 75 


the creature is changing its summer for its 
winter coat, the new fur appears of the same 
colour as that previously worn, and does not 
alter until the colder weather sets in. On 
the other hand, if the weather is cold when 
the winter pelage commences to grow its 
colour is white at the outset. 

The arctic-fox and the mountain-hare are 
other creatures which wear different-coloured 
liveries during the summer and winter months. 

A large number of the feathered folk assume 
different hues after their periodic moults, but 
it is not always that the change of colour is 
due entirely to the production of new feathers, 
for in the ptarmigan, a bird which indulges 
in the practice of wearing a different suit 
during the summer, autumn and winter months, 
the pigments of the feathers undergo a trans¬ 
formation of tint. 

Abnormal colour changes may sometimes 
occur in animals, which in some cases may 
be due to selective breeding, and in others 
to some 4 4 sport ” of Nature. The writer has 
seen a green tree-frog which, to use a some¬ 
what 44 Irish ” expression, was of a bright 
blue tint; while yellow, as well as sky-blue, 
varieties of the familiar and normally green- 
coloured budgerigars or love-birds have been 
successfully reared and established as distinct 


76 ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 

strains. In the case of the latter the trans¬ 
formed colour is of a permanent nature, and 
is brought about by the eradication of yellow 
or black pigments which together make green ; 
the absence of the yellow pigment, and the 
combining of the black with a white pigment 
secreted by certain cells, giving rise to the 
blue tint; and the yellow tint being produced 
by the loss of the black pigment. 


CHAPTER V 

BIRDS WITH QUEER BEAKS 


LTHOUGH birds lack the mobile features 



common to many of the mammalian 
members of creation, yet they possess in the 
bill or beak an organ which endows them 
with a considerable degree of character. 

In this country there are quite a number 
of birds that have curious forms of beaks, 
but it is in foreign climes that the more extra¬ 
ordinary examples occur, some of them pos¬ 
sessing such peculiar bills as to render their 
owners almost grotesque in appearance. 

In past ages certain birds possessed teeth, 
but at the present day none is thus endowed. 
With many young birds, however, a so-called 
“ egg-tooth ” is present, this being a small, 
pimple-like and hard outgrowth of the bill 
which is utilized by the unhatched chick to 
break its way from out of the egg, and after¬ 
wards shed. 

Nearly all birds possess an external covering 
of horn to the beak, but the ducks and 


77 


78 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


flamingoes prove an exception to the general 
rule inasmuch as that member is clothed 
with a layer of soft skin, except at the tip. 
It is also interesting to note that the situa¬ 
tion of the nostrils differs in various species 
of birds. In the majority the nasal orifices 
are placed a short distance from the base of 
the bill, but in the gulls, geese and cranes 
they are at the centre, while the flightless 
apteryx of New Zealand is unique in having 
them at the extreme end. 

It is, however, to the more curious forms 
of beaks that we desire to draw special atten¬ 
tion in our present chapter, and in this respect 
no bird is more remarkable than the crossbill 
whose beak is unlike that of any other member 
of the feathered folk, the end of the lower 
mandible curving upwards and crossing over 
the upper one in a manner that suggests a 
malformation rather than a normal condition. 
This peculiarity, however, proves of great 
service to the bird, enabling it to obtain the 
seeds from the fir cones upon which it so 
largely subsists, by forcing back the scale¬ 
like growths that overlay them. 

Only the adult birds possess this extra¬ 
ordinary form of beak, that of the young being 
of the more usual straight type. 

There are quite a number of birds that 


79 


BIRDS WITH QUEER BEAKS 

call for special comment on account of the 
enormous size of their beaks, and of these the 
hornbills are especially noticeable owing to 
their bills frequently being decorated with 
a casque or helmet-like protuberance, of vary¬ 
ing shape and size, that arises from the upper 
mandible. 

One of the most remarkable of these birds 
is the rhinoceros hornbill which possesses a 
casque furnished with an upturned and horn-like 
growth that suggests the horn of a rhinoceros. 

In nearly all instances these enormous 
casques are by no means so heavy as they 
look, the interior being composed of a net¬ 
work of cellular structures. That of one 
species, however, is solid throughout, and 
of considerable weight. Indeed, so similar 
is it in appearance and consistency to ivory, 
that the Chinese frequently make use of it 
as a basis for their carvings. 

Although these gigantic beaks act as most 
efficient weapons of defence and offence, and 
can but receive the respect due to them from 
any adversary rash enough to come within 
striking distance thereof, yet they are believed 
to serve an additional purpose, the cellular 
interior acting as a resonator, and increasing 
the volume of the bird’s cry, which is excep¬ 
tionally loud. 


80 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


Of the various kinds of hornbills, the 
smallest is about the size of a jay, and the 
largest as big as a hen turkey. With the 
exception of two species known as ground- 
hornbills, all are arboreal in habits. The tree- 
dwellers occasionally come to the ground, 
however, and progress in a series of lop-sided 
leaps, but the ground-hornbills walk in a 
very stately manner and are also curious 
because they possess very pronounced eye¬ 
lashes. 

Even more grotesque than any of the 
foregoing is the bill of the toucan. Indeed, 
were it not for the fact that the shell of that 
member is extremely thin, and the interior 
of cellular structure, it would prove too heavy 
for its owner to carry. But judging by the 
bird’s alert and active disposition, it evidently 
does not find the size of its beak in the least 
inconvenient. Possibly it may even be proud 
of such a distinctive feature for, apart from 
its enormous size, it is rendered very con¬ 
spicuous by its bright colouring, the tints 
varying in the different members of the family. 

The toco toucan, the largest of its kind, 
has a bill of a bright orange-red hue, decorated 
with a black patch at the tip. The beak of 
the sulphur-breasted toucan, another well- 
known species, is even more brilliant, various 



See p. 83 . 


THE SPOONBILL POSSESSES A UNIQUE TYPE OF BEAK. 










THE BILL OF THE FLAMINGO IS UNLIKE THAT OF 
ANY OTHER BIRD. 

See p. 83 . 



THE GREATER FRIGATE BIRD—BOTH MANDIBLES OF THE BEAK 
ARE BENT DOWNWARDS AT THE TIP. 


See p. 83 , 







BIRDS WITH QUEER BEAKS 


81 


shades of red, blue and green forming the 
colour scheme ; while that of the ariel toucan, 
one of the smaller forms, about the size of a 
jackdaw, is yellow and black. 

That the toucan’s beak is somewhat sensi¬ 
tive may be judged by the fact that the bird 
has been observed to scratch it with its foot. 
Why Nature should have provided such a 
large bill is, however, somewhat of a mystery, 
although the suggestion has been made that 
it enables its owner to reach fruit growing from 
the end of slender twigs that would otherwise 
be inaccessible owing to the weight of the bird. 

The toucan comes from South America, 
and is said to derive its name from two native 
words meaning 44 nose of bone.” This term 
is certainly an appropriate one, but hardly 
so quaint as the description given by one 
writer who designated it as 44 a bird smaller 
than its own beak.” 

It thrives well in captivity, and becomes 
quite tame. When roosting, the bird tucks 
its enormous beak beneath its wing, and, to 
ensure an extra degree of comfort, then turns 
its tail over upon its back to act as a blanket. 

For the acme of grotesqueness in bill 
development, we may well introduce the 
reader to the shoebill or whale-headed heron, 
a bird that looks more like the phantom of 

F 


82 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


a nightmare than a living creatine. It is 
somewhat rare, of an unsociable and savage 
disposition, and inhabits the swampy regions 
of the White Nile river. 

Its immense boat-shaped bill is slightly 
concave on the top, and composed of a number 
of sections, the central portion of the upper 
mandible terminating in a claw-like nail which 
serves as an admirable instrument for securing 
a firm hold of the fish upon which it feeds. 
The edges of the bill are extremely sharp, 
and one bite at a fish is sufficient to sever it 
in half. When flying, the shoebill draws back 
its head and rests its cumbersome bill upon 
its fore-neck. 

The boat-billed heron is another bird that 
is somewhat similar to the foregoing in regard 
to the boat-like shape of its bill, except that 
that member is convex in profile instead of 
concave. It inhabits the wooded banks of 
the Brazilian rivers, is known by the natives 
as the “ savaJcu” and feeds upon worms and 
aquatic creatures, for which it makes diligent 
search by dabbling in the mud with its enor¬ 
mous and curiously-formed beak. 

Among the smaller wading birds we find 
the majority possess long and tapering beaks 
that are well adapted for capturing their prey 
amidst the shallow waters of their habitat. 


BIRDS WITH QUEER BEAKS 83 

These vary very much in form in the different 
species, some of them being straight and 
dagger-like, others curved in a downward 
sweep such as that of the curlew, while the 
avocet is unique in the fact that it possesses 
a bill that curves upwards. The spoonbill is 
even more specialized than any of the fore¬ 
going, its beak being very broad throughout 
its entire length, and terminating in a flattened 
and spoon-like expansion. 

The flamingo possesses a curious form of 
beak that almost defies a verbal description, 
the front half being bent down at an abrupt 
angle to the rest. Such an unusual formation 
might at first sight appear to be an encum¬ 
brance to its owner, but when one considers 
the stature of the flamingo, and more especi¬ 
ally the length of its neck, it will readily be 
seen that the bird, when searching for its 
food as it wades amidst the shallow waters, 
must of necessity turn its head almost upside 
down when thus engaged, the bent portion 
of the beak then being poised more or less 
parallel with the surface of the ground, and 
serving as a perfectly-formed scoop. 

Yet another peculiar beak is that of the 
frigate bird, which, besides being of great 
length, is curious on account of the fact that 
both the upper and lower mandibles are of 


84 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


equal length, and hooked downwards at the 
extremities. Although many other birds, such 
as the eagles and vultures, are characterized 
by the sharply-hooked ending of the upper 
mandible, yet in these the lower one is in¬ 
variably of a more or less straight type, and 
overhung by the upper one. 

The pelicans are a group of birds that not 
only have a very highly-developed form of 
beak, but in addition they possess a capacious 
and dilatable pouch, attached to the lower 
mandible, and capable of holding a large 
quantity of food. 

Unfortunately, this somewhat unusual capa¬ 
city for storing food does not always prove 
an unmixed blessing, for notwithstanding that 
the pouch may be capable of holding a dozen 
fish or more, yet, as only one of these can be 
swallowed at a time, when other hungry 
pelicans are in the immediate vicinity the bird 
must either retain the fish unswallowed within 
its pouch, or else run the risk of their being 
appropriated by its companions when released 
for individual attention. 

During the courtship season the males of 
the white pelican acquire one or more horny 
and upstanding excrescences upon the upper 
mandible, which are ultimately shed. 

There can be few people who fail to respect 


BIRDS WITH QUEER BEAKS 


85 


a macaw’s beak, or do not regret their lack 
of forethought should they ever have done 
so, for not many birds can be said to possess 
such business-like instruments with which to 
nip a finger. The upper mandible of a macaw 
is boldly curved in a downward sweep, and 
has the under edge notched in a most curious 
manner, while the lower mandible is com¬ 
paratively small, and shovel-like in form. 
Like all other members of the parrot family, 
they have the unique power of being able to 
move the upper portion of the beak, this being 
rendered possible by the presence of a trans¬ 
verse hinge upon the skull. 

The scissor-bill possesses a beak that is 
remarkable for its peculiar formation, for not 
only is the lower mandible considerably longer 
than the upper, but both portions are flattened 
laterally like a knife-blade, except at the 
extreme base or gape, where they swell out 
and form a junction with the skull. The 
bird feeds entirely upon fish, skimming over 
the surface of the water with the long lower 
mandible dipped beneath the surface, and the 
upper one raised above. Should any small 
fish happen to strike against the moving 
and submerged portion, it is instantly forced 
upwards and caught in the angle formed at 
the junction of the two mandibles. 


86 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


Equally curious is the beak of the open- 
bill, which displays a cavity or gap between 
the closed mandibles, the utility of which is 
unknown. 

Although the different sexes of birds are 
often denoted by the varying colour of their 
plumage, yet in the huia bird of New Zealand 
we have an example in which the male and 
female may be distinguished by the form of 
the beak alone, that of the former being of 
an inconspicuous, short, thick, and slightly 
curved type, while that of the latter is both 
slender and long, and arched downwards in 
a very prominent manner. 

So far we have reviewed some of the more 
curious types of birds that arrest attention 
on account of the large size or unusual forma¬ 
tion of their beaks, but -there still remain to 
be mentioned certain members of the feathered 
folk in which the bill is nearly non-existent. 
Foremost among these is the night-jar, in 
which the beak is reduced to little more than 
a pair of knob-like excrescences situated at 
the front of the mouth. As, however, the 
bird feeds entirely upon insects and beetles 
which it captures on the wing as it flies with 
wide-open mouth, the lack of a more powerful 
beak is in no way detrimental to its welfare. 

Attention must also be drawn to a group 


BIRDS WITH QUEER BEAKS 


87 


of birds known as curassows, many of which 
possess curious embellishments of the beak 
which usually take the form of brightly- 
coloured and bulbous outgrowths; while in 
the puffin we have an example that indulges 
in a double form of beak. When seen in this 
country during the summer months, the latter 
bird is easily recognized by its brightly- 
coloured and compressed beak which is of 
much greater depth than length. But should 
we see the same during the winter, we might 
easily be excused if we failed to recognize 
it, for during the moulting season the brightly- 
coloured outer covering of the beak falls off, 
and reveals a small and soberly-coloured 
structure beneath which is the beak proper. 


CHAPTER VI 

ANIMALS AND THE WEATHER 


OT many factors govern the lives of the 



-L ^ denizens of the earth more than the 
weather—heat, cold, dampness, dryness, fog, 
and mist, all affecting their well-being, fashion¬ 
ing their habits, moulding their destiny, and 
also having a direct influence upon their health 
by regulating the spread of disease. 

Although disease is ever present amidst 
us, yet a healthy creature dwelling under 
natural conditions is endowed to a certain 
extent with the power to fight against the 
evil, this power or partial immunity having 
been handed down from generation to genera¬ 
tion. But if an individual be forced to change 
its normal habitat and environments, it is 
liable to come into contact with diseases it 
has not hitherto been called upon to face, 
or against which it has not received any 
inherited immunity, with results that are likely 
to prove fatal. 

This fact is revealed very clearly in regard 


88 



THE CAPACIOUS MOUTH OF THE PELICAN. 

See p. 84 . 



A CURASSOW, WITH CURIOUS BEAK DECORATION. 

See p. 87 . 














SAM AND BARBARA, THE VETERAN POLAR-BEARS AT THE ZOO. 

See p. 89 . 



JOHNNY, THE FAMOUS GORILLA. 

See p. 91 . 































ANIMALS AND THE WEATHER 89 

to the polar bear which, in a natural state, 
dwells in a very cold climate where the malady 
commonly known as a “ cold,” including such 
ailments as influenza and pneumonia, cannot 
exist, the germs or microbes responsible for 
disseminating those illnesses being unable to 
thrive in such a low temperature. But if 
one of the animals be brought to warmer 
climes where the microbes can flourish, it is 
apt to suffer in consequence. Should, how¬ 
ever, its vitality be sufficiently strong to with¬ 
stand the onslaught of the germs at the 
outset, it gradually gains a more or less per¬ 
manent degree of immunity against then- 
attack, and is enabled to live amidst them 
without being exposed to greater risk than 
other creatures dwelling under similar con¬ 
ditions. 

In further allusion to this point, let us take 
the case of Sam and Barbara, the famous 
polar bears at the London Zoo. That they 
have attained sufficient power of resistance 
against the attacks of pneumonia and such 
ills to enable them to live in our fickle and, 
from their point of view, abnormal climate, 
is proved by their present flourishing con¬ 
dition, as well as by the great number of 
years they have dwelt in the Gardens. But 
that this immunity is of a personal nature, 


90 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


and in no way inherited, is made manifest 
by the fact that it does not descend to their 
offspring, for although Barbara has given birth 
to nearly a score of young ones during her 
sojourn in captivity, yet not a single one has 
survived for more than a week or two, every 
individual having succumbed to the attack of 
the microbes responsible for causing bronchial 
or pulmonary trouble in its varying forms. 
Should, however, she ever succeed in rearing 
some babies, and these in turn have cubs of 
their own, there would then be reason to hope 
that the latter would be able to survive the 
critical period of their existence, for each 
successive generation would gradually benefit 
by the degree of immunity attained by the 
parents against the malignant microbes. 

Apart from the initial dangers attending 
the introduction of living creatures to a climate 
unlike that to which they have previously 
been accustomed, there is always the risk of 
their becoming infected with illnesses through 
the mere fact of being brought into close 
contact with human beings who are prone 
to carry germs about with them. For this 
reason the chimpanzees and other anthropoid 
apes at the London Zoo are separated from 
the public by a dividing screen of plate-glass 
which not only helps to keep away obnoxious 


ANIMALS AND THE WEATHER 


91 


germs, but also wards off the evil effects 
arising from wet umbrellas and clothing. 

That inherited influences prove a valuable 
means of enabling a living creature to fight 
the battle of life is exemplified in a very 
remarkable and unusual manner in regard 
to a young gorilla, named Johnny, that was 
brought to this country a few years back 
and exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens 
during the summer months. Now, a gorilla 
is one of the most difficult of animals to keep 
alive in captivity, for even when dwelling 
in a warm and congenial climate it shows its 
resentment at being made a prisoner by sulk¬ 
ing and refusing food, with the result that it 
quickly dies. When, in addition, the creature 
is forced to face the discomforts of an un¬ 
natural and altogether unsuitable climate, the 
difficulties are greatly increased. 

Before the advent of Johnny, no gorilla 
had ever lived in this country for more than 
a week or two, but he proved a remarkable 
exception, for instead of moping and pining 
away in the manner of his forerunners, he was 
blessed with boisterous spirits and a vigorous 
constitution, and lived for over five years in 
captivity. 

Before his death he only had one serious 
illness, and then he refused all food for several 


92 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


days so that it was feared he would die. All 
sorts of delicacies were placed before him, 
but without avail, until, as a last resource, 
it was suggested that a pineapple might tempt 
his appetite. This was soon procured and offered 
to the ailing ape, who immediately devoured 
every particle of the fruit, as well as most 
of the leaves, and from thenceforth he rapidly 
regained health and strength. 

How then do we account for the fact that 
Johnny succeeded in passing no less than 
five winters in England, thereby breaking all 
records of longevity in captivity for one of 
his kind ? The answer to this query, although 
at first sight appearing somewhat difficult to 
believe, but, nevertheless, accepted as being 
true by competent judges, is that Johnny, 
who was known to have been captured when 
quite a baby, was mothered by a black 
woman, her maternal attentions endowing her 
simian foster-child with the cheerful disposi¬ 
tion of a normally healthy human infant, 
and also giving him a degree of immunity 
against ailments which he would not have 
been brought into contact with in the ordinary 
course of events, but would meet when living 
in an entirely different climate to that of 
its native home, and amidst unnatural 
surroundings. 


ANIMALS AND THE WEATHER 93 

We have heard a great deal of late years 
about the “ open-air ” cure as a means of 
combating and curing illness, and although 
there cannot be the slightest doubt that fresh 
air and sunshine are Nature’s greatest health- 
givers, yet, like other medicines, the doses 
must be taken with moderation and judgment, 
for what is one man’s meat is another man’s 
poison. 

Excessive heat or cold is only to be borne 
with impunity by those who have been accus¬ 
tomed to endure it, and it is absurd to 
expect an animal hailing from the tropics to 
thrive in the Arctic or Antarctic regions, or 
vice versa. It is true that they can be gradu¬ 
ally accustomed to withstand a considerable 
degree of variation in temperature, and in 
this respect nobody has achieved greater suc¬ 
cess than Mr. Karl Hagenbeck, the well-known 
importer of wild beasts, who writes: “I 
am quite convinced that it is possible to 
transplant lions to any climate whatever, pro¬ 
vided they are allowed out into the open 
during spring when they are young.” In 
former days it was always considered necessary 
to keep captive lions and tigers shut up during 
the winter months in houses warmed to a 
somewhat high temperature by means of hot- 
water pipes, but to-day it is recognized that 


94 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


coddling is not only detrimental to their 
health, but even induces illness. 

In spite of popular belief, it is quite a 
mistaken idea that animals from the tropics 
revel in very hot sunshine. The Indian tiger 
seeks the shade of the forests and jungles 
during the heat of the day, the elephant is 
also intolerant of the burning rays of the sun, 
while excessive heat has been known to cause 
the death of snakes. 

Many creatures undergo a prolonged period 
of rest or aestivation throughout the hottest 
period of the year, during which they remain 
in a dormant state; while in cold climates 
this state of affairs is reversed, hibernation 
or winter sleep being indulged in in order to 
escape the severity of the weather and, more 
important still, to enable them to tide over 
the time when food is scarce. During these 
periods of inactivity the creatures sustain 
life by absorbing into their systems the fat 
they have stored up in their bodies during 
times of plenty. 

Animals living in very cold countries are 
provided with thick fur, as well as a generous 
supply of fat underlying their skin, and it is 
owing to these provisions of Nature that the 
polar bear is enabled to enter the water amidst 
the ice floes of its habitat without suffering 


ANIMALS AND THE WEATHER 95 

any undue inconvenience, but, curiously 
enough, when once it has become accustomed 
to dwell in a warmer zone it no longer appre¬ 
ciates Arctic conditions. It becomes “ soft,” 
to use a common expression, and refrains 
from entering its bath during the winter— 
ice-cold water no longer appealing to its 
taste. 

As already mentioned in a former chapter, 
a number of animals change the colour of their 
coats during the varying months ; the Arctic 
fox, the stoat, the blue or mountain hare, 
and the willow-grouse being notable examples 
of creatures that assume a white livery during 
the winter months, and more sombre hues in 
the summer time. 

The change, however, is not a constant 
one, for only in the colder regions of their 
habitat do they undergo the transformation. 

Biting winds and hard frosts often have 
a marked effect on the behaviour of living 
creatures, and we all know how tame our 
birds will become during an exceptionally 
hard spell of weather, and how they look 
to mankind to assist them in procuring the 
food which Nature has withheld from them 
for the time being. The advent of winter 
also heralds the approach of numbers of sea¬ 
gulls to the metropolis, and it is a never-failing 


96 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


source of enjoyment to watch them as they 
skim alongside the parapets of the bridges 
crossing the Thames, and deftly catch the 
offerings of food that the city workers throw 
to them. 

Seagulls, moreover, are able to foretell a 
change in the weather, and their powers in 
such respect are officially recognized by the 
Meteorological Office, the various observers 
who send in their reports to that body being 
instructed to watch the movements of the 
feathered prophets. When the birds fly in¬ 
land, stormy weather is likely to ensue ; 
but if they travel out to sea, settled condi¬ 
tions are indicated. 

That many other living creatures are endowed 
with an instinct that enables them to foretell 
a coming change in the state of the atmos¬ 
phere is a well-known fact. Sheep will gather 
together at the approach of a storm and take 
shelter under trees and hedges. They appear 
to be able to judge to a nicety whether the 
disturbance is going to break in their imme¬ 
diate neighbourhood; and if it is likely to 
pass over, no matter how black the sky may 
be, they take little notice of the threatening 
outlook. The movements of horses and cows 
at pasture in the fields are also indicative 
of weather changes. The former leave the 


ANIMALS AND THE WEATHER 97 

open ground when storms are brewing and seek 
the best available shelter, while the latter 
grow restless and, instead of spending the 
greater part of their time reposing upon the 
grass and chewing the cud, get up and 
roam about the meadows in a disconsolate 
manner. 

Frogs and toads are also foretellers of 
changes in atmospheric conditions, for during 
the dry weather they hide up and are con¬ 
spicuous by their absence, but when rain 
or dampness approaches they become more 
lively and venture forth from their hiding- 
places. 

In some countries it is the custom to keep 
frogs in glass cases within which are erected 
small ladders. If the inmates repose at the 
bottom of the ladder they are supposed to 
forecast fine weather, but if rain or unsettled 
conditions are approaching they proclaim the 
fact by sitting at the top. 

It is not surprising to note that sunshine 
has a marked effect upon the behaviour of 
animals, and although excessive heat may 
cause discomfort or even death, yet, in modera¬ 
tion, nothing can be more beneficial to the 
health and spirits of all living creatures than 
the rays of the sun. Birds will bask in the 
sunshine and spread out their wings to the 


98 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


fullest extent in order to receive the grateful 
warmth upon them, while at other times they 
will he down on the ground with one wing spread 
out and held aloft in such a manner as to 
expose the under surface to the sun. The 
hornbills will often repose upon the ground 
with their heads turned sideways as if they 
were endeavouring to get their faces sun¬ 
burnt, and the writer has even known a tawny 
or brown-owl so far to forget its reputation 
for being a bird of the night as to sit upon the 
ground at midday, and spread out its wings 
to greet the sunshine. 

Our domestic cattle are very fond of stand¬ 
ing in water on a hot day, the act of immersing 
their extremities in cool water while their 
bodies are exposed to the heat from the sun 
appearing to afford them much satisfaction; 
but the Indian buffalo does not believe in this 
half-and-half measure for, when feeling too 
hot, it submerges its body beneath the waters 
of a stream, and remains there with only its 
head above the surface until it is sufficiently 
refreshed. At other times it will wallow in 
the mud without any consideration for its 
subsequent appearance. 

That a hot and sunny day is conducive to 
laziness is no less true in regard to the lower 
creatures than to mankind. The monkeys 


ANIMALS AND THE WEATHER 99 

become lethargic and sprawl about on their 
perches, and the lemurs will sit up and 
spread out their arms so as to receive the 
maximum amount of sunshine upon their 
persons. 

Under like circumstances the various 
members of the dog family give vent to their 
feelings by panting with their mouth wide 
open and their tongue lolling out, this pheno¬ 
menon being due to the fact that they are 
only able to perspire through that organ. 
The period of the calendar known as the 
“ dog days,” and extending from about July 3 
to about August 11, has always been associated 
with dog madness, the so-called dog-star, or 
Sirius, which rises and sets with the sun at 
that time, supposing to exercise a baneful 
influence upon our canine friends. 

Certain fish are also affected by weather 
conditions. The North Atlantic basking-shark, 
which attains to a length of more than thirty 
feet, indulges in the habit of lying motionless 
on the surface of the water during warm and 
calm weather with its back exposed to the 
grateful influence of the sun’s rays. In a 
similar manner the sword-fish will bask in 
the sunshine, its enormous dorsal fin being 
expanded to its fullest extent when thus 
engaged. 


100 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


Mr. Frank Buckland also tells us that “ eels 
are very sensitive to changes in the weather, 
and they are generally on the move when 
thunder is about, or, in other words, when 
the atmosphere is charged with electricity.” 
He further records the fact that in January, 
1851, during a spell of very severe weather, 
thousands of conger-eels were seen floating 
on the sea in a certain locality, no less than 
eighty tons of the fish being captured in a 
very short time. Although they were quite 
lively and were swimming about on the surface 
of the water, yet, curiously enough, they had 
not the power to escape from their captors 
owing to the fact that the intense cold had 
distended their air-vessels to such an extent 
as to close the valvular openings, thereby 
rendering the fish so buoyant that they were 
incapable of swimming downwards. 

Rainy weather, although regarded with dis¬ 
favour by some creatures, is, on the other 
hand, greatly appreciated by others, and those 
of us who cultivate gardens will know how 
snails come forth from their hiding-places after 
a shower. In the winter months, however, 
they bury themselves beneath the earth, seal¬ 
ing themselves up within their shells by 
secreting a membrane-like shield across the 
base, the structure being composed of slime 


ANIMALS AND THE WEATHER 101 


and calcareous matter which is of a porous 
nature, and admits a sufficient supply of 
air for their needs during their winter 
sleep. 


CHAPTER VII 
A TALK ABOUT CRABS 

HE majority of people if asked to give 



A a brief description of a crab would 
probably define it as a crustacean or, to use 
a more popular term, a shellfish that dwells 
in the sea, and although this description may 
be applicable to most species, yet it is in¬ 
correct in regard to others, for some five in 
fresh water, and those known as land-crabs 
pass the greater part of their existence upon 
terra firma. 

Before, however, we introduce the reader 
to the more interesting forms of crabs that are 
to be found in various parts of the world, it 
may be of interest to give a brief account of 
their development and transformation. 

All undergo a series of changes before they 
attain their adult form, the larva, after leaving 
the egg, which, by the way, may be no larger 
than a mustard seed, being a diminutive and 
transparent body possessing six arm-like appen¬ 
dages. It is then spoken of as being in the 


102 


A TALK ABOUT CRABS 


103 


Nautilus stage. But only certain species of 
crabs pass through this stage, others emerging 
from the egg in a more advanced form called 
a zoea. 

The zoea of the common, green, or shore- 
crab is a most extraordinary looking object. 
Its head, from the top of which arises a long 
and upstanding spine-like growth, is very 
large in proportion to the rest of its body, 
while its “ face ” terminates in an elongated 
and sharp beak. The eyes, moreover, are 
remarkable for their enormous size. 

When once the larva has completed its 
metamorphosis and assumed the crab form, 
it sheds its shell periodically so long as it 
continues to grow. If it did not do this the 
creature would be unable to increase in size 
owing to the hard and unyielding shell pre¬ 
venting the body from developing. 

No hard-and-fast rule applies to the intervals 
between the moulting periods, a great deal 
depending upon the amount of food the crab 
is able to obtain, and the consequent rate of 
its growth. It is interesting, however, to give 
records in regard to a specimen kept in cap¬ 
tivity, the first change taking place on April 
11, the second on May 22, a third on July 3, 
a fourth on August 30, and another on Sep¬ 
tember 21. 


104 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


Not only is the shell of the body shed during 
the moulting periods, but the covering of the 
antennae and legs, as well as the lining of the 
gills, stomach, and eyes, is also discarded. 
The new shell, formed beneath the old one, 
is quite soft at first, but gradually becomes 
hardened — this transformation sometimes 
taking but a few hours to complete, while 
at other times it may be extended over a period 
of several days. Before the shell has become 
hard, the crab is quite defenceless and runs 
great risk of being devoured by its enemies ; 
but in order to avoid such a calamity as far 
as possible, the creature hides itself within the 
crevice of a rock, from whence it does not 
venture forth until its armour is in a service¬ 
able condition. 

The general appearance of the shore crab 
is so familiar as to need no detailed description, 
but it is not generally known that the sexes 
can readily be distinguished the one from the 
other by the size of the tail, that of the male 
being narrower and more pointed than that 
of the female. It appears that these crabs 
possess a remarkable homing instinct, for 
experiments carried out by the Eastern Sea 
Fisheries Commission have proved that if one 
of the creatures be removed from its native 
locality it will make every effort to return. 


A TALK ABOUT CRABS 


105 


Not long since, more than 2,000 crabs were 
captured, marked, and liberated at a con¬ 
siderable distance from their home. Several 
hundreds of these were subsequently recaptured 
in their old haunts. 

Some brought from Yorkshire and set free 
in the sea off the South Lincolnshire coast 
were retaken, either in their original locality 
or near by; the distance covered during their 
journey in some cases being more than eighty 
miles. Another instance is recorded of a crab 
travelling from Scarborough to Boddin—close 
to Montrose in Scotland—a distance of about 
one hundred and fifteen miles. 

Another familiar species is the great or 
edible crab, which may readily be distinguished 
from the green crab by its more oblong shape, 
the brick-red tint of its shell, and the superior 
size of the adults. It has for long been esteemed 
as an item of diet, and we read that the Romans 
regarded its flesh as a great delicacy. 

Searchers along the seashore, however, 
must not expect to find one of these toothsome 
morsels, unless it be a very small one, for they 
always take care to remain in situations from 
whence the tide never recedes. 

Although the majority of crabs are unable 
to swim, and can only progress by walking 
along the ground with their characteristic 


106 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


sideways gait, yet those known as swimming 
crabs, of which several species are to be found 
around our coasts, possess specially developed 
legs, the last pair being flattened, and ter¬ 
minating in oval, plate-like structures that 
serve as oars and enable the creatures to make 
their way through the water in any direction. 
One of the better-known kinds is the velvet 
swimming-crab, so called on account of the 
thick covering of short hairs upon the upper 
part of its shell. It is a handsome species, 
the general greyish tint of its shell being 
relieved by a violet-coloured border, while 
the feet, more especially the flattened plates, 
are barred with black stripes. The fore claws 
are decorated with scarlet and azure tints, 
and the eyes are vermilion in colour. 

A curious group of crabs are those known 
as spider-crabs because of the triangular form 
of their bodies—the carapace being broad at 
the back and narrow in front. In some kinds, 
moreover, the limbs are of such extreme 
length and slenderness as to resemble those of 
a spider. Of the various species found in 
British seas the spinous spider-crab or thorn- 
back crab is one of the most familiar. It attains 
to a considerable size, a specimen taken in 
Liverpool Sound having measured eight inches 
in length and six inches in breadth. 


A TALK ABOUT CRABS 


107 


Spider crabs are experts in the art of con¬ 
cealing themselves, for by fixing pieces of 
seaweed and other marine growths upon their 
rough shells they render themselves quite 
indistinguishable from their surroundings. 

That the crabs realize the protective nature 
of this procedure is proved by the fact that 
some seaweed-covered specimens when placed 
in an aquarium, the bottom of which was covered 
with small sponges, promptly removed their 
original dressing and replaced it by one of a 
nature similar to that upon the ground. 

But the most remarkable of all spider- 
crabs is that known as Kampfer’s crab, which 
claims the distinction of being the largest of 
all crustaceans. It comes from Japan, and 
the males are so huge that they are able to 
span as much as eighteen feet with their out¬ 
stretched legs. 

Belonging to a different family to the spider- 
crabs, but resembling them in the triangular 
form of their shells, is a species known as the 
Northern stone-crab. Found in British waters, 
but restricted in range to the Northern regions, 
the creature is of large size, and peculiar in 
the fact that when viewed from above only 
three pairs of legs (instead of the usual four 
pairs) are visible in addition to the chilipeds 
or those bearing the nippers; the fourth pair 


108 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


being folded up and concealed within the gill 
or branchial chambers. 

Passing to those crabs that dwell in fresh 
water we find one of the commonest is the 
South European river-crab, a species found 
in considerable numbers amidst the muddy 
banks of Lake Albano, and also in the vicinity 
of Rome, in which city it forms a popular 
dish. Some members of the group, however, 
forsake the water for the greater part of their 
time and lead a terrestrial fife; but these 
must not be confused with the true land-crabs, 
of which numerous examples are to be met 
with in tropical regions. 

Of the latter, one of the best known is the 
Countryman crab (Gecarcinus ruricola ), found 
in Jamaica. It resides in the neighbourhood 
of the sugar-cane plantations, and is stated 
to be very fond of feeding upon the juice from 
the cane, doing a considerable amount of 
damage and destroying numbers of young 
plants by eating the growing shoots. 

Land-crabs travel for considerable distances, 
and are usually found about two or three 
miles from the coast. During the spring 
months the females lay their eggs in the sea, 
the whole colony forsaking their inland retreats 
and making for the shore. At times the 
migrating crustaceans are so numerous as to 


A TALK ABOUT CRABS 


109 


extend for upwards of a mile in length, the 
column, led by the males, often covering a 
width of a hundred and twenty feet. So 
intent are they upon reaching their destination 
that nothing will induce them to diverge 
from their path, and should they come across 
a house, cliff, or even a church during their 
march, they go straight on and climb over 
the obstacles rather than make a detour. 

When the females have finished laying their 
eggs, the whole party marches inland once 
again, where they remain until the following 
spring. 

A certain land-crab found inhabiting the 
mangrove swamps of the West Indies has a 
very evil reputation, for although its normal 
diet consists of fruit, yet, according to the 
report of Dr. Duchassaing, those that take 
up their abode in the vicinity of cemeteries 
feed upon the interred bodies, the creatures 
burrowing beneath the ground in order to 
obtain their meal. 

A very specialized group are the swift land- 
crabs (Ocypoda) which are able to run so 
swiftly across the sandy beach of their habitat 
as to make their capture a difficult feat to 
accomplish. 

So accustomed are they to living on land 
for extended periods that their breathing 


110 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


organs have become specially adapted for such 
a state of existence, and if one of the creatures 
be immersed in water for twenty-four hours 
it will drown. These crabs dwell together 
in small colonies, each individual providing 
itself with a deep and perpendicular burrow 
excavated within the sand. Should one of 
them happen to enter a wrong 44 house ” by 
mistake when returning from its wanderings 
above ground it is promptly informed by the 
rightful owner of the domicile, who makes a 
scraping sound, that its presence is not required, 
whereupon the intruder quickly departs and 
endeavours to find his own quarters. 

Another curious form, found in Brazil and 
other parts of the world, is the beckoning, 
calling, or fiddling crab as it is variously called, 
in the males of which one claw is of such an 
enormous size as to exceed the bulk of the 
creature’s body. So abundant are they in 
their haunts that thousands may be seen at 
one time peeping out of their sandy burrows, 
or running over the surface of the sand. Mr. 
Alcock gives a very interesting account of 
these crabs in his book, A Naturalist in Indian 
Seas . He states : 44 Landing one afternoon 

upon a cheerful mud-flat ... I was bewildered 
by the sight of a multitude of small pink 
objects twinkling in the sun, and always, like 


A TALK ABOUT CRABS 


111 


will-o’-the-wisps, disappearing as I came near 
to them, but flashing brightly on ahead as 
far as the eye could reach. It was not until 
I stayed perfectly quiet that I discovered 
that these twinkling gems were the brandished 
nippers of a host of males of Gelasimus annulipes. 
By long watching I found that the little 
creatures were waving their nippers with a 
purpose—the purpose apparently being to 
attract the attention of an occasional infrequent 
female, who, uncertain, coy, and hard to 
please, might be seen unconsciously sifting 
the sand at the mouth of her burrow. If this 
demure little flirt happened to creep near the 
burrow of one of the males, then that favoured 
individual became frantic with excitement, 
dancing round his domain on tiptoe and 
waving his great cherry hand as if demented. 
Then, if another male, burning with jealousy, 
showed a desire to interfere, the two pigmy 
suitors would make savage back-handed swipes 
at one another, wielding their cumbrous hands 
as if they were no weight at all.” 

These grotesque little creatures are very 
useful to mankind for, like the earthworm, 
they bring up the subsoil during the excavation 
of their underground burrows and cast it upon 
the surface several feet from the entrance. 
On their return journeys they will take back 


112 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


pieces of vegetation, some of which is eaten 
by the crabs, while the remainder rots away 
and forms the nucleus of a new soil. On some 
of the coral islands of the Eastern Archipelago 
the crabs are gradually converting mud-flats 
into dry land, and although the process is 
naturally a slow one, yet owing to the enormous 
numbers of the creatures, as many as one 
hundred burrows sometimes being located 
in an area measuring but two feet square, 
the work proceeds faster than one would 
expect. 

The Keeling or Cocos Islands in the Indian 
Ocean are the homes of some crabs that not 
only pass the greater part of their existence 
upon land, but are also partially arboreal in 
habits, the crustaceans climbing coco-nut 
trees for the purpose of feeding upon the fruit. 
Known as robber crabs or coco-nut crabs, 
these creatures attain to a considerable size, 
a length of a foot or more being by no means 
unusual. They belong to the group of hermit- 
crabs, but differ from the typical forms, in 
which the body is naked and unprotected by 
a shell covering, by having the upper surface 
furnished with horny plates. They make 
their homes in deep burrows which they 
excavate beneath the roots of trees, and 
within the privacy of these sanctums they 



A TAWNY OWL BASKING IN THE SUNSHINE. 


See p. 98. 



A LEMUR GREETING THE RAYS OF THE SUN WITH OPEN ARMS. 

See p. 99. 










THE NORTHERN STONE-CRAB. 


See p. 107 . 



THE SQUAT-LOBSTER—A 
SMALL CRAB FOUND IN 
BRITISH WATERS. 

See p. 118 . 


THE KING-CRAB, THAT CLAIMS KINSHIP WITH THE SCORPIONS. 

See p. 116 . 












A TALK ABOUT CRABS 


113 


prepare themselves beds composed of coco¬ 
nut fibre and husks. The natives of their 
habitat, knowing the habits of the crabs, dig 
down to the bottom of these homes and carry 
off the fibre so diligently gathered by the 
crustaceans, utilizing it for their own purposes. 
They will also eat its flesh, the fat stored on 
the under surface of the tail of the adult crabs 
being considered a special delicacy, while if 
the same be melted it forms a valuable 
oil. 

Although it has for long been said that the 
robber crabs were in the habit of climbing 
coco-nut palms for the purpose of procuring 
the fruit, yet many people in the past were 
inclined to doubt the veracity of the statement. 
Recent observations, however, together with 
photographic records, leave no doubt that 
the crabs do actually climb trees, but it has 
been suggested that this is done merely for 
the purpose of securing the fibre and not as a 
means of obtaining the nuts, numbers of which 
are usually to be found lying upon the ground. 
This theory would certainly appear to be the 
correct one, for we must remember that the 
coco-nuts as we see them in shops are but 
the fruits that were formerly enclosed within 
large, hard, elliptical, and three-sided envelopes; 
and to expect a crab to be able to break 

H 


114 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


through such a formidable outer casing would 
be rather unreasonable. 

How then does the crab manage to get at 
the kernel ? 

First of all it selects a nut that has fallen 
from the tree top and been broken asunder 
from its outer casing. It then commences 
to tear away the fibrous growth upon the 
shell that covers the three “ eye-holes ” situated 
upon one end, and when these have been 
exposed it hammers upon them with its power¬ 
ful claws until a hole is made right through. 
The extraction of the contents of the nut is 
then proceeded with by means of the smaller 
claws. 

The robber crab is diurnal in habits, and 
visits the sea at intervals for the purpose of 
moistening its gills. Why it should have 
received its disparaging name is hard to say, 
for the act of securing its food can hardly be 
described as robbery. 

If, however, any crab should be so designa¬ 
ted, a species found in the Azores, known as 
the graspus, is the most suitable one to select. 
The animal dwells amidst the crevices of 
rocks, and is stated to be able to clamber up 
the face of almost perpendicular cliffs with 
ease. Should it happen to come across the 
nest of a tern during its peregrinations it does 


A TALK ABOUT CRABS 


115 


not hesitate to steal the fish that the latter 
has secured for its own use, while, to add to 
its misdeeds, it will even drag the young birds 
from their homes and devour them. 

Of the hermit-crabs that pass their lives in 
the sea, several kinds are to he found in British 
waters. Only the front half of these creatures 
is protected by a growth of shell, the posterior 
portion of their anatomy being quite naked 
and soft. 

This state of affairs would naturally render 
them very vulnerable to the attacks of their 
foes were it not for the fact that they protect 
themselves by thrusting their tails into the 
empty shells of other creatures such as whelks 
or periwinkles, these sanctuaries being retained 
until the increasing bulk of the crustaceans 
renders it necessary for them to exchange 
their abodes for those of larger dimensions. 
Not content, however, with this method of 
outwitting their enemies, the crabs will often 
carry anemones upon their shells, the advantage 
of this association being of a very beneficial 
nature inasmuch as no fish will eat an anemone, 
but many will willingly dine upon the hermit 
—even including its shell. But if it is a choice 
between partaking of a two-course meal or 
of going without one, the fish chooses the 
latter alternative and the crab benefits accord- 


116 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


ingly. Another advantage gained by this 
curious companionship arises from the fact 
that the crab is liable to be attacked by a 
parasite that pierces its body and causes its 
death, but if the crustacean be fortunate enough 
to have an anemone as a lodger it can afford 
to ignore the lurking danger, as the latter 
creature delights to feed upon the parasites. 

With the king-crabs or horse-shoe crabs 
we come to a group that are somewhat of 
a puzzle to zoologists, for, notwithstanding 
their name, they are not true crabs but claim 
kinship with the scorpions—although to a 
remote degree. They are found in the waters 
of the Eastern coast of the United States, as 
well as oh the coasts of Japan, China, and 
the Indo-Pacific Islands. The North American 
species is of considerable size, and possesses 
a large flattened carapace above which arise 
four eyes—one pair of small ones and the 
others larger. A long, pointed and whip-like 
tail protrudes from the hindermost portion 
of the shell, this organ being used as an im¬ 
plement for elevating the back part of the 
body while the broad and spade-like front margin 
of the shell is applied to the soft soil of the 
sea bed when the creature is burrowing. The 
tail also serves another purpose, enabling its 
owner to right itself should it turn upside 


A TALK ABOUT CRABS 


117 


down. The creature is unable to swim, but 
crawls about the sand and mud in search of 
its food, which consists of marine worms and 
molluscs. For the greater part of the year 
king-crabs dwell in deep water, but during 
the breeding season they come into the shallows, 
and at high tide the females deposit their eggs 
in shallow depressions they scrape in the soil. 
The ova are then quickly covered up by the 
action of the ebbing tide, and the buried eggs 
get warmed by the sun’s rays, so that in due 
course the young crabs hatch out, these being 
diminutive creatures decorated with a fringe 
of bristles around their rotund and tailless 
bodies. The absence of a caudal appendage 
is liable to cause the infants some inconvenience 
for should they turn topsy-turvy they have 
not the same means of righting themselves 
as is possessed by their parents. Nevertheless 
they are able to overcome the difficulty by 
forcing themselves upwards in the water by 
means of their gill plates, and as they descend 
once again they endeavour to regain their 
equilibrium. 

Before concluding our remarks we would 
draw attention to an interesting genus called 
pea-crabs, so named on account of their 
diminutive size. Their habits are very peculiar, 
inasmuch as they make their homes within 


118 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


the shells of living bivalves such as cockles 
and mussels. One species is found in con¬ 
siderable numbers off the Irish coa’st. Indeed, 
so plentiful is it in certain districts that one 
writer reports that in nine out of every ten 
cockles he opened a pea-crab was present 
inside the shell. It is further recorded that 
in some instances two or three of the crusta¬ 
ceans may be found in a solitary bivalve. 

Then we have the masked crabs, so called 
because the upper portion of their shells is 
convoluted in such a manner that a rough, 
but nevertheless distinct, image of an uncouth 
human face is produced. One species known 
as the long-armed masked crab is found on 
our shores. Its antennae, unlike those of the 
majority of crabs, are of exceptional length 
and furnished along their inner edges with 
a double row of stiff hairs which interlock in 
such a manner that when they are held 
close together a tube is formed through which 
the crab is able to obtain a constant supply 
of water while its body lies buried and con¬ 
cealed beneath the sand. 

Another crab found in British waters is 
called the squat-lobster. In spite of its name, 
however, it is not a lobster, although in many 
respects it resembles one of those crustaceans. 

It is quite small, only attaining to a length 


A TALK ABOUT CRABS 


119 


of an inch or so, and its elongated body ter¬ 
minates in an expanded and fan-like tail that 
is directed and held backwards, instead of 
being folded beneath the body as in the case 
of other crabs. 

When the creature wishes to get about 
quicker than its legs can carry it, it suddenly 
snaps its tail forward and beneath itself, the 
resistance to the water thus offered causing 
the crab to shoot backwards through the 
water. 


CHAPTER VIII 

FROGS AND TOADS 

F ROGS and toads belong to a class of 
animals known as tailless batrachians, 
thereby distinguishing them from their allies 
the newts and salamanders which possess a 
caudal appendage. 

Although the terms “ frog 55 and “ toad ” 
appear to be somewhat elastic ones—some 
members of the tailless batrachians being 
referred to just as frequently under the one 
name as under the other—yet as a rough and 
ready means of distinguishing the two it may 
be mentioned that the typical frogs possess 
teeth in the upper jaw, whereas the true toads 
are toothless. 

Nearly twelve hundred different species of 
frogs and toads are known. They are found 
in most parts of the world, being absent, 
however, in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, 
and in deserts where there is insufficient 
moisture to sustain their lives. 

The young, known as tadpoles, originate 
120 


FROGS AND TOADS 


121 


from eggs which are usually deposited in the 
water by the females, or occasionally upon 
dry land. But in some instances the eggs do 
not see the light of day, the young being born 
in an active state. 

Before reaching maturity the tadpoles 
undergo a series of changes, and in the meta¬ 
morphosis of the common frog the newly- 
hatched young one commences its free existence 
as an elongated creature with a large head 
and compressed tail, the mouth being furnished 
with small projections, known as “ holders,” 
which enable the creature to attach itself to 
water-plants. As growth proceeds the tail 
becomes much broader, a vertical and 
membrane-like crest arising both above and 
below that member. The limbs then make 
their appearance, the hinder ones being the 
first to show, followed a few days later by the 
front ones. Finally the tail is gradually 
absorbed into the system, the cleft of the 
mouth becomes much extended, and the 
creature assumes the form of a miniature 
frog. 

The skin of adult frogs and toads is covered 
with numerous glands which, in the majority 
of the latter, are developed into wart-like 
excrescences upon the body and large swellings 
on the sides of the head, behind the eyes. 


122 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


Prom these glands exudes a milky and 
poisonous fluid, which, however, is not as a 
rule of a very powerful nature, although 
sufficiently venomous to kill small animals 
or to cause a dog to foam at the mouth. But 
that of a South American species (Dendro- 
bates tinctorius) is so potent in its action that 
the Indians utilize it for the purpose of poison¬ 
ing their spears and arrows, while, moreover, 
it has the curious property if applied to the 
wounds caused by plucking the feathers 
from green Amazon parrots of changing the 
new plumage to a yellow tint. 

Frogs and toads do not possess ribs, but the 
transverse processes of the backbone are so 
well developed that they compensate, to a 
certain extent, for the absence of this feature. 
Owing to this peculiarity the creatures are 
unable to breathe in the normal manner— 
that is to say, by the alternate expansion and 
contraction of the chest, aided by the ribs 
and attached muscles—but do so by what 
may be termed a swallowing or gulping 
process, the closed mouth serving as an air 
reservoir into which the atmosphere is con¬ 
veyed through the nostrils, and afterwards 
forced into the lungs by the action of 
the tongue and the compression of certain 
muscles. 


FROGS AND TOADS 


123 


This curious method of respiration renders 
it an easy matter to suffocate one of these 
animals, for all that is necessary to do is 
to keep its mouth open and thus prevent it 
from inflating its lungs, the result being of a 
similar nature to what would happen if a hole 
were pierced in the leather sides of a pair of 
bellows, thereby rendering them incapable of 
pumping air. 

With the exception of the African hairy- 
frog, fro-m the sides and thighs of which arises 
a thick and hair-like fringe, the skin of all 
frogs and toads is naked. In some species 
the tongue is absent, but usually that member 
is of considerable size and capable of being 
protruded from the mouth for a considerable 
distance owing to the fact that the root is 
fixed at the front of the mouth with the tip 
directed towards the throat. When the 
animal shoots out its tongue the lower surface 
is then turned upwards and the extremity 
thrown forward. 

One of the most remarkable of the tongue¬ 
less batrachians is the Surinam toad, a curious 
creature with a flattened, triangular-shaped 
head and small star-like growths arising from 
the tips of the front toes. A large flap or 
filament of skin also projects from either side 
at the junction of the jaws, while smaller 


124 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


prominences are present in front of the eyes 
and on the upper lip. 

It is, however, the spawning habits of this 
toad that render it so noteworthy, for the 
female carries her eggs upon her back, each 
one being embedded in a small pit formed in 
her skin, which becomes very soft during the 
breeding season. In this situation the eggs 
remain until the young hatch out, a hundred 
or more being carried in this manner. 

How the eggs reached their curious resting- 
place was for long a mystery, but the problem 
was eventually solved by observations made 
of a pair of these toads that laid some eggs 
at the London Zoological Gardens in the year 
1896. It was then revealed that the female 
protruded her bladder-like oviduct for a con¬ 
siderable distance beyond her body, curling 
it upwards and over the lower part of her 
back. The male then came to the assistance 
of his mate and, pressing upon the oviduct, 
forced the eggs out one by one, distributed 
them evenly over her back, and buried them 
in her soft skin. After the eggs were embedded 
a thin and horn-like lid gradually formed over 
the cavities, and within this retreat the young 
ones hatch out and undergo the whole of 
their transformation, coming forth after a 
period of eighty-two days as fully developed 


FROGS AND TOADS 


125 


toads, and making their way into the unknown 
world by pushing off the lids of their tem¬ 
porary domiciles. The skin of the mother’s 
back then gradually dries up and is shed or 
rubbed off, the cells closing up and only leaving 
a small prominence to indicate where they 
previously existed. 

Other tongueless batrachians are the smooth- 
clawed or spur-toed frogs, so called because 
the three inner toes of their hind feet are 
furnished with sharp, horny and spur-like 
nails. Their skin is quite smooth, and along 
either side of the body is present a row of 
small bright-coloured and tubular sensory 
canals which look as if the creature’s skin 
had been sewn up with minute perpendicular 
stitches. 

The species is entirely aquatic, while the 
tadpoles, which are born in a somewhat 
advanced state and have no external gills, 
are curious in the fact that they possess a 
pair of long filaments or barbel-like tentacles 
that arise on either side of the mouth. These 
first make their appearance a few days after 
the tadpoles hatch out, and grow very rapidly 
until they are as long as the creatures them¬ 
selves. 

Another curious feature concerning the tad¬ 
poles is that during the early days of their 


126 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


existence they are so transparent that the 
brain and viscera can be seen through the 
skin. 

The largest of all tailless batrachians is the 
Cameroon giant frog, which measures, when 
adult, nearly twelve inches in length ; while 
the bull frogs, of which there are several 
species found in various parts of the world, 
are other representatives that arrest attention 
on account of their enormous size. Of the 
latter, which receive their name because of 
the loudness of their voice—their croakings 
being likened unto the roar of a bull heard 
in the distance—one of the most familiar is 
the American bull frog, which attains to a 
length of eight inches, and possesses a very 
broad and flattened nose. It inhabits the 
greater part of North America, and its flesh is 
considered a great dainty, so much so, indeed, 
that the frog was at one time threatened with 
extinction owing to constant persecution. As, 
however, the creatures are now largely bred 
in a semi-captive state in frog-farms, there is 
good reason to hope that such a fate is no 
longer to be reckoned as a possibility. 

Another bull frog is found in India. Known 
as the tigrine frog, it may be distinguished 
from its American relative by its more pointed 
snout which overhangs the lower jaw, as well 


FROGS AND TOADS 


127 


as by its inferior size, a full-grown individual 
measuring about six inches in length. When 
frightened and fleeing from an enemy it indulges 
in the curious habit of leaping along the surface 
of the water in a similar manner to when 
progressing upon land. 

A third species, namely the African bull 
frog or speckled frog, is about the same size 
as the American species. It spends much of 
its time underground, making its way beneath 
the soil by means of a shovel-like growth 
situated upon the inner-side of its hind 
legs. 

To complete the list of the tailless batra- 
chians remarkable for their enormous size, 
mention must be made of the giant toad 
found in Central and South America, as well 
as in the West Indies, a fully-grown individual 
measuring over six inches in length; while 
of even greater bulk are the American Cerato- 
phrys, horned-frogs, horned-toads or barking 
frogs, as they are variously called. 

The latter receive the name of “ horned ” 
because of the prominent nature of their 
upper eyelids, which, in one species especially, 
are developed to such an extent as to form 
upstanding and horn-like appendages ; while 
the term “ barking ” refers to the bark-like 
cry they utter. 


128 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


The animals are of a clumsy and ungainly 
appearance, their bodies being broad, short 
and barrel-like, and their mouths of enormous 
size. To make up for their lack of grace in 
regard to their figure, however, their skin is 
most beautifully coloured, the ground tint 
being sap-green, upon which are imposed 
numerous and somewhat large olive spots 
that are encircled with golden margins, red 
lines also being distributed in some instances 
between the spots. 

Barking frogs have the name for being of 
a very savage disposition, attacking a person 
who molests them with great ferocity, and 
hanging on to their foes with the grip of a bull¬ 
dog. Indeed, so tenacious is their grip that 
they will even suffer death rather than release 
their hold. They spend the greater part of 
their time buried under the ground with only 
the top of their backs and their eyes showing 
above the surface, and in this manner they 
lie in wait for their prey which consists of 
small mammals, birds and other kinds of frogs. 

Other burrowers, known as toad frogs, spade- 
foot or heel-clawed frogs, resemble the pre¬ 
viously mentioned speckled frog in the 
possession of a shovel-shaped tubercle upon 
the foot which aids them in making their 
underground excavations. 



AN AMERICAN BULL-FROG. 

See p. 126 . 



W 


THE INDIAN OR TIGRINE BULL-FROG. 

See p. 126 . 



A BARKING FROG 


See p. 12 7 , 














WHITE’S TREE-FROG, FROM AUSTRALIA. 

WAX. 


ITS GREEN SKIN LOOKS LIKE 

See p. 130 . 



THE EDIBLE FROG, THE HIND LEGS OF WHICH ARE REGARDED AS 

DAINTIES. 


See p. 134 . 






jTROGS and toads 


129 


The common spade-foot, found in Northern, 
Eastern and Central Europe, is peculiar in 
the fact that it exudes a very strong 
odour that smells like garlic, and for this 
reason it is often spoken of as the garlic 
frog. 

A very interesting group are the tree-frogs, 
of which there are more than two hundred 
species. The common or European green 
tree-frog is one of the best known, and is 
frequently kept as a pet. The male, which 
may be distinguished from the female by the 
brownish tint of its throat, whereas that of 
the latter is white, has an exceedingly powerful 
voice, and when engaged in his vocal perfor¬ 
mance he blows out his throat like that of a 
pouter pigeon. 

Notwithstanding that tree-frogs are excellent 
jumpers, they seldom avail themselves of their 
powers in this respect for evading their enemies, 
but usually rely upon their protective colouring 
to avoid detection. Some of them, however, 
are very brightly and conspicuously coloured, 
one kind found in Central America being sky- 
blue upon its back and rose coloured upon the 
under surface of its body; while another 
species from North America, known as the 
goose-footed tree-frog, is decorated with irregular 
cross-bars of red and fawn hues. 


i 


130 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


The golden tree-frog from Australia is a 
very handsome kind, its bright green skin 
being enriched with golden-bronze spots and 
streaks. It is stated that the Australian 
aborigines, when pressed by hunger, capture 
these frogs at night-time with the aid of a 
torch, and utilize them as food. 

Also hailing from Australia is White’s tree- 
frog, a somewhat large species measuring 
more than four inches in length. Its bright 
green skin is extremely smooth and shiny, 
looking almost like wax, or as if it had been 
varnished. 

The tips of its fingers and toes are furnished 
with expanded disks, by means of which 
the creature is able to adhere to a smooth 
surface such as glass, the adhesion being 
effected by strong muscular pressure, aided 
by a sticky secretion that exudes from the 
disks. 

The under surface of the body is also of an 
adhesive nature, the smooth and shiny skin 
clinging to the glass and retaining its hold 
by suction. 

The habits of a small species of tree-frog 
discovered in Brazil by Dr. Goeldi are of 
unusual interest, for the female, which breeds 
in the water that has accumulated in the cup¬ 
like formations at the junction of the branches 


FROGS AND TOADS 


131 


of a certain kind of tree, carries her eggs upon 
her back, and retains them in position within 
a kind of pouch formed by small folds of skin 
on either side of her body. 

In some Mexican frogs of the genus Nototrema , 
the females possess a pouch of a much more 
perfect nature, the skin gradually extending 
over the back during the breeding season 
until a completely closed chamber is formed. 
How the eggs are conveyed into this remark¬ 
able receptacle is not known, although it has 
been suggested that they are placed there by 
the male. 

Equally curious are the habits of the tree- 
frogs (Phyllomedusa) which wrap up their 
eggs between several leaves of a tree over¬ 
hanging a pond, fixing the edges together by 
means of a sticky secretion they produce, and 
leaving a small opening at the lower end of 
the nest through which the young ones fall 
when they hatch out, and drop into the 
water below. The female is stated to carry 
the male on her back while they proceed 
to fashion this curious domicile for their 
young. 

These frogs are also peculiar on account 
of the structure of their hands and feet, the 
innermost digits of which are opposable to 
the remainder, so that when the creatures 


132 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


are resting upon a twig they grasp their 
support in a manner similar to that of a 
monkey. 

Other Brazilian tree-frogs fashion mud walls 
in the shallow puddles at the edges of streams 
and deposit their eggs within the enclosed 
area; while another species places its ova 
within the sheaths of decaying banana leaves 
and surrounds them with a frothy substance. 

The breeding habits of the Alytes or mid¬ 
wife toad are very peculiar, for the male 
collects the strings of eggs laid by the female 
and entwines them around his legs, after 
which he hides himself in a hole in the ground 
or under a rock until the young are ready to 
emerge, when he makes his way to the water. 
During the incubating period of the eggs the 
devoted father only leaves his hiding-place 
for brief periods at night in order to obtain 
food and to moisten the eggs in the dew¬ 
laden grass. The midwife toad, which grows 
to a length of about two inches, is found in 
France, Western Germany, Belgium, Holland, 
Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. 

Even more remarkable are the habits of 
Darwin’s frog, a small species from Brazil 
that has a sharp and pointed snout terminating 
in a tubular projection. As in the above- 
mentioned Alytes toad, it is the male that 


FROGS AND TOADS 


133 


tends the eggs laid by the female. But in¬ 
stead of carrying them about outside his 
person he carries them inside, passing them 
into a pouch-like receptacle, an enlargement 
of the vocal sac which extends beneath the 
body and has two openings communicating 
with the mouth, one on either side of the 
tongue. Within this safe retreat the young 
ones hatch out and make their way into the 
world as fully developed frogs, leaping forth 
from their father’s mouth. 

Only four species of tailless batrachians 
are found in Great Britain, namely the common 
frog, the edible frog, the common toad and 
the natterjack toad. 

Of these the first mentioned is by far the 
most plentiful, while its general appearance 
is so familiar to every one as to need no detailed 
description. It may be mentioned, however, 
that the creature is very variable in colour, 
some individuals being greyish, some brown, 
some yellow, and others reddish. Even white 
specimens have been known, and one of these 
albinos that was exhibited at the London 
Zoological Gardens some years back had red 
pupils to its eyes, instead of the normal black 
ones. 

Although usually found in the vicinity of 
water, the common frog is not very aquatic 


134 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


in its habits, but spends the greater part of 
its time amidst the herbage of the fields. 
During the breeding season, however, the 
creatures resort to the water, while in the 
winter the males not infrequently hibernate 
therein. The two sexes are very alike, but 
the males may be distinguished from the 
females by the greater development of the 
webbing between the toes. 

In regard to the edible frog there appears 
to be some doubt as to whether it is indigenous 
to this country or not, some naturalists being 
of the opinion that its presence in the British 
Isles is due to its having been introduced by 
mankind from the Continent. Be that as it 
may, however, the creature has now established 
itself in certain parts of the country and, 
although by no means plentiful, is to be 
found in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, being 
somewhat rare, however, in the former 
district. 

It is far more aquatic than the common 
frog, from which it may readily be distinguished 
by its superior size and by the absence of the 
dark-coloured streak extending from behind 
the eyes, along the sides of the head, that is 
such a characteristic feature of the latter 
creature. 

The edible frog receives its name from the 


FROGS AND TOADS 


135 


fact that it is eaten by the populace of many 
European countries, a fate which also falls 
to the lot of the common frog on the Con¬ 
tinent, although the flesh of the latter is 
stated to be very inferior to that of the 
former. 

It appears that there are several recognized 
ways of catching the edible frog, the more 
sportsmanlike method being to “ fish ” for 
it with a line and hook baited with a piece of 
red cloth. Should, however, the frog-hunter 
be more concerned about the quantity of his 
catch than for his reputation as a sports¬ 
man, he will probably employ a drag net or 
search for them at night with the aid of 
a bull’s-eye lantern, the rays from which 
dazzle the frogs and render them an easy 
prey. 

Yet another method employed is to run the 
water off a small pond, and then secure any 
of the creatures that may happen to be there 
before they have recovered from their surprise 
at being left high and dry. 

It is only the hind legs of the frogs that are 
eaten, these dainties fetching about a penny 
or twopence each, according to size and 
quality. 

Not many people will have much difficulty 
in distinguishing the common toad from the 


136 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


frog, the skin of the former being studded 
with numerous warts. Moreover, the manner 
in which it progresses upon land is quite unlike 
that of the frog, for whereas the latter moves 
along in a series of leaps the toad usually does 
so by a curious crawling walk. It is by far 
the most intelligent of the batrachians, and 
not only will it become quite tame, but it will 
learn to recognize a human being who regularly 
feeds it. Its food consists of insects and 
worms, but in order to excite its appetite these 
must be on the move. 

Owing to the fact that it has no teeth the 
creature sometimes has some difficulty in 
swallowing an extra large worm. But it 
usually succeeds in getting the better of its 
prey, pushing the protruding and wriggling 
ends of the worm into its mouth with the aid 
of its hands. 

The last of the British tailless batrachians 
to be mentioned is the natterjack toad, a 
somewhat small species measuring barely two 
inches in length. It is by no means common, 
and very local in distribution. 

Its hind legs are so short that the creature 
is unable to jump, nevertheless it is able to 
get along with considerable speed by running 
with its body raised up from the ground. 
Further distinguishing features of this toad 


FROGS AND TOADS 


137 


are the narrow yellow line along the middle 
of its back and the pale-yellow tint of its 
eyes. 

Unlike the majority of toads the natterjack 
delights in dry situations, and will frequently 
sit out and bask in the sunshine. Only during 
the spawning season does it make its habita¬ 
tion near the water. The creature is said to 
possess the peculiar power of giving forth a 
smell resembling that produced by the smoke 
of gunpowder. 

Although many instances have been reported 
of frogs and toads falling in showers from the 
sky, yet this remarkable phenomenon may 
be likened unto the stories of adders swallow¬ 
ing their young alive, and of toads living for 
ages when buried in a piece of rock, accounts 
of which crop up from time to time, and are 
vouched for by persons who have no wish to 
deceive and are firmly convinced of the truth 
of their statements. Whether such stories 
will eventually die a natural death is difficult 
to say, but at the present time no evidence 
of a sufficiently convincing nature of these 
happenings has been forthcoming to satisfy 
the doubts of the world’s leading natura¬ 
lists. 

Not long ago it was reported in the daily 
Press that millions of tiny frogs were rained 



138 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


down from the clouds at Gibraltar, and, of 
course, the story at once aroused the usual 
amount of controversy as to the possibility 
of such a thing happening. The usual explana¬ 
tion put forward by those who are against 
accepting such reports as being true is that a 
sudden shower had awakened to activity 
numbers of small frogs that had but lately 
been transformed from the tadpole stage and 
were hiding under stones or in crevices in 
order to shelter from the heat of the sun. 
Although this solution of the mystery would 
appear to be a perfectly satisfactory one, yet 
the following letter published a short time back 
in the pages of a daily paper at once sets the 
ball rolling again, for the writer states: 
“In the summer of 1875 when going down 
the Ottawa River, Canada, with passengers 
for Montreal, a violent thunderstorm with 
torrents of rain burst upon us about 6.30 p.m. ; 
with the rain came thousands of tiny frogs, 
which covered the promenade deck. So much 
so that I ordered some of the deck hands 
up with a shovel to clear them away. Where 
they came from none of us could imagine as 
at the spot dense forest covered both sides of 
the river.” 

As promenade decks can hardly be regarded 
as suitable hiding-places for frogs, we must 


FROGS AND TOADS 139 

be content to let the believers and unbelievers 
continue the controversy and hope that in 
time a solution satisfactory to all parties will 
be found. 


CHAPTER IX 

LUMINOUS ANIMALS 


N ATURE has bestowed upon the various 
members of the Animal Kingdom many 
remarkable gifts, but possibly the most wonder¬ 
ful of all is the power to emit light. This 
light-giving property, or phosphorescence as 
it is commonly called, is more general among 
marine creatures than among terrestrial ones, 
while in the case of the latter the phenomenon 
is chiefly displayed by insects, although some 
of the earthworms are also of a luminous 
nature. None of the land vertebrates, how¬ 
ever, is endowed with the power to give forth 
light. 

One of the most beautiful effects produced 
by the light-bearing creatures is that known 
as the phosphorescence of the sea, a sight 
that can be witnessed on favourable occasions 
in the waters that wash our shores, although 
it is in foreign climes that the display is to be 
seen to its greatest advantage. 

The living creature that commonly, but not 


LUMINOUS ANIMALS 


141 


exclusively, causes the phosphorescence of 
the sea is a form of life known as Noctiluca 
miliar is, a minute, spherical and jelly-like 
mass measuring about a thirtieth of an inch 
in diameter, upon the surface of which are 
numerous vein-like markings. It is only met 
with in waters adjacent to the shore, and 
calm, dark nights during the summer and 
autumn months are the most favourable times 
to observe its light, for should the sea be rough 
the tiny creatures get driven below the surface 
and become too scattered to produce much 
illumination. 

The intensity of the light emitted by these 
animals is so great that a glass full of them 
will produce sufficient illumination to enable 
a person to read at a distance of two feet away. 

Mr. F. T. Bullen gives an interesting account 
of the luminosity of the sea as witnessed by 
him during a voyage in the neighbourhood 
of the Philippine Islands. He states that the 
light produced was so intense that the stars 
looked merely like white points against a black 
sky, while the tracks of fishes were revealed 
by streaks of fire-like intensity, and the ship 
upon which he was journeying was encircled 
with bright light as the waves broke against 
the hull of the vessel. 

Darwin also tells us that: “ When sailing 


142 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


a little south of the Plata on one very dark 
night, the sea presented a wonderful and most 
beautiful spectacle. There was a fresh breeze, 
and every part of the surface, which during 
the day is seen as foam, now glowed with a 
pale light. 

“The vessel drove before her bows two billows 
of liquid phosphorus, and in her wake she 
was followed by a milky train. As far as the 
eye reached, the crest of every wave was bright, 
and the sky above the horizon, from the 
reflected glare of these livid flames, was not 
so utterly obscure as over the vault of the 
heavens.” 

It is also recorded that the captain of an 
American ship sailed through a zone of phos¬ 
phorescent sea in the Indian Ocean for a 
distance of nearly thirty miles ; while Humboldt 
records the fact that, having bathed in the 
sea where a number of Noctiluca were present, 
his body glowed with light for an hour after 
he had left the water. 

At one time it was thought that a phos¬ 
phorescent state of the sea was due to the 
water giving out light that it had absorbed 
and stored up during the daytime; while 
another theory was that the rotation of the 
earth set up friction between the air and the 
sea, thereby producing the light. 


LUMINOUS ANIMALS 143 

Not until the year 1750 was the true cause 
discovered. 

Of the various kinds of luminous fish, one 
of the most remarkable is Aethoprora effulgens , 
a deep-sea species that inhabits tropical waters 
at a depth of ten thousand feet. This finny 
light-bearer is endowed with quite an array 
of luminous points, the principal one being 
situated on the snout, and acting as a veritable 
44 head-light.” A closely-set row of minor 
lights is also present along the body on either 
side, and beneath these are others that look 
as if they were arranged in hanging loops from 
those above. 

Another species, the black astronesthes, 
found only in the Atlantic, has a double row 
of luminous spots along the body, while, 
moreover, it is also curious in the fact that it 
possesses two dorsal fins, one of which is 
composed entirely of fat. Little is known 
of the habits of this fish, and, according to 
Mr. Bullen, only half a dozen of them have 
ever been captured. 

One of these was taken from the stomach 
of a halibut that had been captured eighteen 
thousand feet below the level of the sea. 

Coccia ovata , another luminous fish, has 
twenty-five small, pearl-coloured and light- 
emitting disks upon its body, each one being 


144 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


situated upon a black globular prominence; 
but even better endowed is the pearl-side 
(Maurolicus borealis ), a small fish found in 
British waters, which has about forty-six 
pearly spots on either side of its body, these 
being set in depressions in the skin, and sur¬ 
rounded by a narrow black ring. 

The moon-fish or sun-fish, a species occa¬ 
sionally visiting British seas, and quite common 
in the Mediterranean, is also endowed with 
the power to radiate light. Mr. Holder tells 
us that at night “ they present a remarkable 
appearance, moving along like gigantic globes 
of light, or resembling the reflection of the 
moon upon the water. When numbers of 
them swim together, the huge dorsal cutting 
the water, that breaks itself into ripples of 
molten silver, the scene is described as being 
magnificent in the extreme.” 

In the majority of the light-bearing fish 
the luminosity they emit is produced by a 
mucus secreted by glandular organs which 
may be present upon the head, along the 
sides of the body and tail, or even on the back. 
In some species, however, in which these 
organs are absent, the light is transmitted 
through lens-like plates that lie in front of 
closed receptacles filled with a clear liquid 
substance. These phosphorescent plates may 


LUMINOUS ANIMALS 145 

be present either below the eyes or on the 
body. 

Luminosity among the crustaceans is fairly 
common. Some of the deep-sea crabs possess 
phosphorescent eyes, the tips of which shine 
like balls of fire. A South American species 
(Cancer fulgens), discovered by Sir Joseph 
Banks, is so luminous that, according to Mr. 
Holder: “ Its entire surface seemed bathed 

with a white flame, that flashed and sparkled 
like living fire, and so resembled it that later 
one of the sailors picked the crab up, thinking 
it a coal that had rolled out of the galley 
fire.” 

Certain species of shrimps and prawns are 
endowed with the power to emit light, several 
of them being found in British waters. In 
some kinds the light-producing organs are 
situated at the base of the antennse, while in 
others a large number of luminous points are 
distributed all over the body. One species 
(Nyctiphanes norvegica), found around the 
coasts of Great Britain, possesses light-giving 
organs situated upon the thorax and abdomen, 
and if some of these creatures be put in a glass 
bowl full of water in a darkened room, they 
appear like flashes of light as they dart about 
from side to side of the vessel. 

Another tiny crustacean, called Metridia 

K 


146 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


armata , is responsible for producing very 
beautiful effects amidst the Arctic snow where 
it dwells. 

Nordenskiold writes in reference to this 
creature : “If during winter one walks along 
the beach on the snow, which at ebb is dry, 
but at flood is more or less drenched through 
with sea water, there rises at every step an 
exceedingly intense, beautiful bluish-white 
flash of light. . . . 

“The flash lasts only a few moments, but is 
so intense that it appears as if a sea of fire 
would open at every step a man takes. 

“It produces indeed a peculiar impression 
on dark and stormy winter days to walk along 
this mixture of snow and flame, which at 
every step one takes splashes about in all 
directions, shining with a light so intense 
that one is ready to fear that his shoes or 
clothes will take fire.” 

Phosphorescence is also emitted by the 
Tunnicates, the phenomenon being especially 
marked in the genus Pyrosoma , small creatures 
which congregate together in large numbers 
and form bunches. The colonies sometimes 
attain to large dimensions, Moseley, during 
the famous voyage of the Challenger , recording 
one that measured four feet in length and 
ten inches in diameter. Describing this 


LUMINOUS ANIMALS 


147 


interesting colony, he states: “ When a 

Pyrosoma is stimulated by having its surface 
touched, the phosphorescent light breaks out 
at first at the point stimulated, and then 
spreads over the surface of the colony as the 
stimulus is transmitted to the surrounding 
animals. I wrote my name with my finger 
on the surface of the giant Pyrosoma , as it 
lay on deck in a tub at night, and my name 
came out in a few seconds in letters of fire.” 

Mr. Bennet also tells us that on one occa¬ 
sion, when journeying in the Australian seas, he 
passed through an expanse of luminous water 
which he judged to be a mile in breadth. 

Casting a towing-net over the stern of the 
ship in order to investigate the cause of the 
illumination, he found that it was due to 
enormous numbers of Pyrosoma which gave 
forth a pale, greenish light. 

Many of the corals emit a bright light. 
Darwin, in reference to a species found on the 
coast of Bahia Blanca, tells us that: “ Having 
kept a large tuft of it in a basin of salt water, 
when it was dark I found that as often as I 
rubbed any part of the branch, the whole 
became strongly phosphorescent with a green 
light: I do not think I ever saw any object 
more beautifully so. But the remarkable 
circumstance was that the flashes of light 


148 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


always proceeded up the branches, from the 
base towards the extremities.” 

Some of the sea anemones are luminous, 
and the little boring-shell, the Piddock ( Pholas ), 
also displays a light of a bluish tint. Pliny, 
who was the first to notice the phenomenon 
in the latter, states: “ Those who eat the 

Pholades in an uncooked state . . . would 
appear in the dark as if they had swallowed 
phosphorus; and the fisherman who, in a 
spirit of economy, supped on this mollusc in 
the dark would give to his little ones the 
spectacle of a fire-eater on a small scale.” Mr. 
Holder also tells us that “ a single pholas has 
been found to render seven ounces of milk 
so luminous that faces of persons could be 
distinguished by it. . . . 

“ The best result was obtained by placing the 
dead mollusc in honey, by which its property 
of emitting light lasted more than a year. . . .” 

Several species of worms, both terrestrial 
and marine, are capable of giving forth fight. 
The remarkable-looking Chcetopterus , some of 
which are found off the coast of Normandy 
and in the Mediterranean, are light-bearers, 
the phosphoric matter, according to Mr. 
Lydekker, “ spreading like a cloud in the 
water.” 

The worm known as Polycirrus also emits 


LUMINOUS ANIMALS 


149 


a bluish light from all over its body, and the 
scale-back (Polynoe) gives forth a greenish 
light where the elytra or scales upon the back 
join the body. 

Yet another light-bearer is the phosphores¬ 
cent sea-pen (Pennatula phosphorea), found 
in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. This 
curious creature grows to a foot or more in 
length, and consists of what may roughly be 
termed a main stem from the upper part of 
which arise leaf-like appendages. The lower 
portion of the stem is somewhat like an elon¬ 
gated onion in form, and the general outline 
of the creature suggests a closed feather-fan. 
When disturbed it emits flashes of light, the 
intensity of which varies according to the 
amount of irritation to which it is subjected. 

Not a few of the centipedes are of a luminous 
nature, the creatures producing light by the 
agency of a phosphorescent fluid yielded by 
glands opening upon the body. 

One of the best known of the luminous 
animals found in this country is the glow¬ 
worm, a creature that, in spite of its name, 
is not a worm but a beetle. The sexes differ 
considerably the one from the other, the 
male possessing wings and the female being 
without those members. 

Indeed, so greatly do the latter resemble 


150 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


the larvae or grub stage of the species that 
it is at first somewhat difficult to distinguish 
the two, but if a close examination be made 
it will be found that the adult female has the 
legs more developed than in the case of the 
grub. 

Glow-worms are luminous throughout all 
stages of their existence. Even the eggs emit 
a subdued light, and both the larval and 
chrysalis forms glow in the dark, but the 
greatest degree of luminosity is displayed 
by the mature female. 

In the case of the adults the light-giving 
organs are confined to two or three of the 
abdominal segments of the body, but the 
exact manner in which the light is produced 
still remains somewhat of a mystery, although 
it is known to arise from a yellowish and 
pulpy tissue, composed of numerous granules 
of an albuminous nature that lie beneath 
transparent plates. Glow-worms feed upon 
slugs and snails, and for this reason they are 
very beneficial to agriculturists. 

In a similar manner to the glow-worm the 
fire-flies have a misnomer applied to them, 
for they are not flies but winged beetles. 

There are a large number of different kinds 
of fire-flies, most of which come from tropical 
America, although some are found in the 


LUMINOUS ANIMALS 


151 


West Indies. All of them emit light, the 
various species, however, differing in the 
degree of illumination they give forth, as 
well as in their manner of displaying it. In 
some of them the light emanates from the 
membrane-like joints of the segments in the 
region of the thorax, but in the majority the 
luminosity arises from two circular and slightly 
raised yellow spots situated upon the prothorax 
or region behind the head. The outer cover¬ 
ing of the spots or “ lanterns ” is of a semi¬ 
transparent and horny nature, and beneath 
each of these covers lies a little cell or vesicle 
containing a phosphorescent substance. The 
light emitted from the spots is of a yellowish- 
green tint, but, when flying, the creatures 
also produce a reddish and somewhat diffused 
light from the abdomen. 

In South America fire-flies are made use 
of by ladies as ornaments, the living creatures 
being fastened to the hair or dresses as if they 
were jewels. The natives catch the beetles 
by whirling about a glowing piece of charcoal 
after dark, the light of which attracts the 
creatures so that they fall an easy prey. 

They are then placed in small cages, and 
fed with sugar-cane, to await purchasers. 

The lantern-fly is said to be another light- 
bearer, although it must be mentioned that 


152 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


many naturalists are inclined to doubt the 
veracity of the statement for lack of conclusive 
evidence. According to some writers, however, 
it has four luminous spots upon its body, two 
on the upper surface and two on the lower, 
the former giving forth a purple light and 
the latter a green one. 


CHAPTER X 


SQUIDS, CUTTLE-FISH, AND THEIR 
ALLIES 

T HE large group of soft-bodied and back¬ 
boneless animals called molluscs is 
divided into numerous sub-divisions or classes, 
that known as the Cephalopoda —a term derived 
from the Greek words Icephale (a head) and 
pous (a foot), and referring to the fact that 
the arms or tentacles of the creatures included 
in that division arise from the front of the 
head and are situated around the mouth— 
comprising squids, the cuttle-fish, the argonaut 
and the octopods. 

The cephalopods are exclusively marine 
dwellers and, with the exception of the ar¬ 
gonaut, have no external shell. As a means 
of support to their soft and flexible bodies, 
however, they are provided with an internal 
shell of varying size and shape. 

Many of the creatures attain to enormous 
dimensions, and the under surface of their arms 
is furnished with numerous disk-like suckers. 

153 


154 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


Not all of the cephalopods have the same 
number of limbs, some of them possessing 
eight and others ten; those that have the 
smaller number being called octopods and the 
others being termed decapods . 

Although the animals utilize their arms as 
organs of locomotion for walking upon, they 
also progress by expelling water through a 
curious membranous tube, connected with 
the gill chamber, known as the “ funnel ” or 
“ siphon.” 

This organ can be turned .to the right or 
left, thereby enabling the creatures to guide 
themselves, while their speed can be regulated 
by controlling the force of the water expelled 
through the siphon. The animals walk with 
their head downwards, and when making use 
of their siphon they shoot through the water 
backwards 

One of the most familiar of the cephalopods 
is the octopus, of which there are about ninety 
known species found in various parts of the 
world, some of them inhabiting the seas around 
our coasts. 

Many sensational stories have been written 
about these creatures, and the size to which 
they grow has been subject to much exaggera¬ 
tion. 

The largest individuals do not possess ten- 


SQUIDS, CUTTLE-FISH, AND THEIR ALLIES 155 

tacles of more than six feet in length, but 
their strength is prodigious, and their grasping 
power so great that it is impossible to make 
one release its hold of an object when once it 
has obtained a firm grasp, without severing 
its limbs. Indeed, it is the grasping and 
adhesive nature of the tentacles that renders 
the octopus such an objectionable and dangerous 
creature to meet, and those of us who have 
experienced the sensation of having water 
weeds or seaweed encircling our limbs when 
bathing can well imagine that it would be by 
no means pleasant to come across even a small 
octopus in similar circumstances. 

Mr. Frank T. Bullen gives an interesting 
account of his experience in reference to one 
of these creatures. When engaged in catching 
flounders and wading knee-deep in water, he 
suddenly felt a prickling sensation upon his 
leg. Looking down to discover the cause of 
his discomfort he found that a small octopus, 
with a body not much larger than his fist, had 
attached itself to his leg and was gradually 
creeping upwards. Endeavouring to rid him¬ 
self of the repulsive-looking object, he seized 
hold of the arms one by one, and forcibly 
pulled them from off his limb ; but this had 
little effect beyond tearing his flesh, for no 
sooner had he removed one tentacle than 


156 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


others crept upwards and attached themselves 
to his person. As a last resource he drew his 
sheath knife, cut off the arms as near to their 
base as possible, and by this means liberated 
himself from the unwelcome intruder. 

The octopus spends most of the daytime 
hiding beneath a rock, or with its body squeezed 
into a crevice ; but at dusk it comes forth in 
search of its prey which consists principally 
of crabs, whelks, oysters and lobsters. Such 
fare may appear at first sight to be somewhat 
tough morsels for the creature to dine upon, 
but as it is endowed with a pair of powerful 
and horny mandibles that greatly resemble 
the beak of a parrot, it is able to crack the 
shells of its victims with ease and then feed 
upon their softer parts. 

The animal has many enemies to contend 
with, for not only is its flesh considered a 
dainty by mankind, but practically all the 
members of the finny tribe find it a tooth¬ 
some morsel. Of the latter the conger eel 
is accounted its most formidable foe in British 
waters, while among its mammalian foes the 
whales are ever ready to receive it with open 
jaws. 

Notwithstanding the enormous numbers of 
octopods that fall victims to the appetite of 
the denizens of the sea, the creatures continue 


SQUIDS, CUTTLE-FISH, AND THEIR ALLIES 157 

to thrive and multiply at an enormous rate, 
for each female produces about fifty thousand 
eggs during the two or three days she is laying. 
The eggs are quite small and measure about 
an eighth of an inch in length, each one being 
fixed along and around a central stalk, like 
grapes growing in a bunch. 

The clusters sometimes attain to a length 
of five inches, and ns many as fifty of these 
may be produced by a single female, the size 
and number of the clusters, however, depend¬ 
ing upon the age of the animal responsible 
for their production. 

From observations made of one of these 
creatures kept in captivity, it appears that 
the mother watches vigilantly over her eggs 
during the period of about fifty days they 
take to hatch out; from time to time gather¬ 
ing them towards herself and rubbing them 
gently with her tentacles. She also occasion¬ 
ally directs a jet of water over them through 
the agency of her siphon or funnel, this being 
done to rid the ova from minute parasitic 
animalcules that are present in the water. 

The newly-hatched octopus is about the 
size of a flea, and its arms are at first little 
more than cone-like excrescences. 

The male and female octopus are very 
similar in appearance, but during the breeding 


158 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


season the former develops a curious swelling 
upon his third right arm. From this swelling 
arises a worm-like growth that terminates in 
a long and slender filament. 

Mr. Edgar E. Smith, writing in the Royal 
Natural History , tells us that when the owner 
of this peculiar arm “ offers his hand to a 
female octopus, she not only accepts it, but 
keeps it, for this remarkable outgrowth is 
then detached from the arm of her suitor 
and becomes a moving creature, having 
separate fife, and continuing to exist for some 
time after being transferred to her keeping.” 

Another interesting member of the eight¬ 
armed cephalopods is the argonaut or paper- 
nautilus, a creature that has given rise to 
many fabulous stories concerning its supposed 
habit of floating upon the surface of the ocean 
in its shell, and utilizing its arms as sails. As, 
however, further reference will be found in 
these pages to this poetical fallacy, we will 
proceed to consider other matters in regard 
to this wonderful animal. 

It is the sole member of the octopod group 
that has an external shell, although, curiously 
enough, it is only the females that possess one. 
The creature receives its name of “ paper ” 
nautilus on account of the extreme delicacy 
of its shell, which is so thin and fragile that 


SQUIDS, CUTTLE-FISH, AND THEIR ALLIES 159 

should one be cast up on the shore it is broken 
at once by the action of the waves. 

This shell, which is of the coiled type and 
decorated with transverse ridges, is made 
entirely by the female through the agency 
of a secretion she exudes from two large and 
flattened lobes, one of which is situated on the 
end of each of her two longest arms. The 
mantle or outer skin which invests the 
creature’s body, however, also assists in the 
shell-forming process. The argonaut can 
fashion and complete its shell in a very short 
period, and the manner in which she goes to 
work when thus employed is graphically told 
by Professor Holder, who was fortunate enough 
to be able to observe a captive specimen in 
the act of building its home. 

In describing this interesting event, he 
writes: “ Resting upon the bottom of the 

tank, it held its two shell-secreting arms above, 
side by side, in point of fact, they were joined 
at the base. Then from the glands oozed the 
shell-making secretion, and it soon appeared 
as a gelatinous cast of each tentacle, the exact 
size of the shell the animal had been inhabiting. 
The radiations on the face of the tentacles 
made the radiations on the shell, and one 
could imagine that gelatine had been pressed 
into the moulds and allowed to harden. I 


160 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


watched the radiant creature all day and late 
into the night, and the following morning 
part of the new shell was found, a delicate, 
tenuous mass, that would gradually harden. 
Hence I believe that a new and large shell 
can be produced in a few hours.” 

The female argonaut is not organically 
attached to her shell in the manner of an 
oyster or a mussel, but merely rests inside and 
retains herself in position by clasping the outer 
sides of the domicile with the large flattened 
lobes of her specialized arms. 

A dweller in rather deep water, and only 
occasionally coming to the surface, few people 
have had the opportunity of seeing one of the 
creatures otherwise than within spirit-filled 
bottles in museums. The latter, however, 
give little idea of the wonders of the living 
animal, whose ever-changing tints of lavender, 
blue, scarlet, rose and gold render it an object 
of exquisite beauty. 

It progresses in a similar way to the octopus, 
crawling along the ground by means of its 
ordinary arms, and propelling itself backwards 
by ejecting water through its funnel. 

Passing to the decapods, which include the 
squids or calmaries, the cuttle-fish or sepia, 
and the sepiola, we come to a group of the 
cephalopoda that differs from the octopods 



AN OCTOPUS, SHOWING THE SUCKERS ON ITS ARMS. 

See p. 154. 



THE ARGONAUT OR PAPER-NAUTILUS. 

See p. 158 . 








A SQUID OR SEA-PEN. 

See p. 160. 



THE CUTTLE-FISH OR SEPIA. 

See p. 165. 












SQUIDS, CUTTLE-FISH, AND THEIR ALLIES 161 

by having ten arms, the additional pair being 
of unusual length and only having suckers 
at their extremities. 

In some instances the arms are completely 
retractile, in others but partly so, while, yet 
again, they may be non-retractile. They serve 
their owners as prehensile organs by means 
of which they can affix themselves to objects, 
and also as lasso-like weapons for seizing their 
prey. 

All of the creatures possess an internal 
shell, that of the cuttle-fish, known com¬ 
mercially as “ cuttle-bone,” being of a bony 
nature, broad and flat, and of considerable 
size in relation to the body of the owner; 
but in the squids the structure, called the 
“ pen,” is horny and very slender. 

The latter, several of which may be present 
in old individuals arranged the one behind 
the other, resembles a quill pen in form, the 
stem being enlarged at one end and forming 
an oval-shaped and flat expansion that is 
vaned like a feather. As the creatures are 
in the habit of ejecting a dark-coloured fluid 
from their siphon for the purpose of rendering 
opaque the water in which they are swimming, 
thereby enabling them to escape from their 
enemies, they are frequently spoken of as “pen- 
and-ink ” fish. 


L 


162 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


Of the various species of squids, that known 
as Loligo vulgaris is found in British waters, 
more especially around the Cornish coast. 
It also inhabits the Mediterranean and the 
Atlantic. The animal has many foes, among 
which are to be numbered the albatross and 
other sea-birds, the sperm whale, and different 
kinds of dolphins. Fishermen, moreover, 
capture large quantities of them at night by 
torchlight—the creatures being attracted by 
the light—and use them as bait. The squid, 
however, is of a very prolific nature, a solitary 
female producing as many as forty thousand 
eggs during the months of May and June, so 
that the species does not appear to suffer any 
great diminution in consequence of its perse¬ 
cution. 

The spawn is very curious in appearance, 
being enclosed in semi-transparent and gela¬ 
tinous sheaths measuring about four inches 
in length, numbers of which are attached 
together and radiate from a common centre. 
These clusters, which float upon the surface 
of the ocean, are known as 46 sea-mops.” 

Other interesting members of the squid 
family are the flying-squids (Omnastrephes), 
so called on account of their habit of leaping 
out of the water. When thus engaged they 
not infrequently fall upon the decks of passing 


SQUIDS, CUTTLE-FISH, AND THEIR ALLIES 163 

vessels. They differ from the Loligo by reason 
of their longer and more slender bodies, shorter 
posterior fins, and the extreme slenderness of 
the pen. 

Then we have a small species known as the 
sepiola, a dwarf of its kind whose body only 
measures about an inch in length. 

It is sometimes caught in shrimp nets off 
our Southern coast, and is quite common in 
the Mediterranean, being offered for sale as 
food in the Italian fish-markets. The habits 
of the creature are very curious, for it buries 
itself beneath the sand up to the level of its 
eyes. 

When making its hiding-place it squirts 
jets of water upon the sand through its funnel, 
until a cavity has been produced of sufficient 
size to enable it to sit inside. The shifting 
sand then quickly settles around it, so that 
only its head, eyes and arms are visible above 
the surface. 

That some squids attain to enormous dimen¬ 
sions is proved by the records of many writers. 
In 1874 a specimen was captured in Logie 
Bay, Newfoundland, whose tentacular arms 
were twenty-four feet in length, the shorter 
or sessile arms measuring six feet. These 
measurements, however, were exceeded by 
another individual which was washed ashore 


164 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


upon the Atlantic beach of Florida, near Saint 
Augustine, one arm (the only remaining one) 
attaining to a length of forty feet. It was 
estimated that the full stretch of this creature 
when alive would have been one hundred feet 
or more. 

An interesting account of a gigantic squid 
is published in the Proceedings of the Zoological 
Society , from which we take the following 
extract: “ Two fishermen, when plying their 
vocation off Belle Island, Conception Bay, 
suddenly discovered, at a short distance from 
them, a dark shapeless mass floating upon 
the surface of the water. Concluding that 
it was probably part of a cargo of some wrecked 
vessel, they approached, anticipating a valu¬ 
able prize, and one of them struck the object 
with his boat-hook. Upon receiving the shock 
the dark heap became suddenly animated. . . . 
The men were petrified with terror, and for a 
moment so fascinated by the horrible sight as 
to be powerless to stir. Before they had time 
to recover their presence of mind, the monster, 
now but a few feet from the boat, suddenly 
shot out from around its head several long 
arms of corpse-like fleshiness, grappling with 
them for the boat and seeking to envelop it 
in their folds. Only two of these reached the 
craft and, owing to their length, went com- 


SQUIDS, CUTTLE-FISH, AND THEIR ALLIES 165 

pletely over and beyond it. Seizing his hatchet 
. . . one of the men succeeded in severing 
these limbs . . . and the creature, finding 
itself worsted, immediately disappeared beneath 
the water.” 

The portion of each severed arm proved 
to be nineteen feet in length, and it was esti¬ 
mated that at least another six feet of each 
limb remained attached to the creature’s 
body. 

Possibly the best known of all the decapods, 
by name, at all events, if not in the flesh, is 
the cuttle-fish or sepia, for not only does it 
supply the “ cuttle-bone ” that we hang up 
in the cages of small birds, a commodity that 
was also used in a pulverized and burned state 
by the Roman ladies in olden days as a face- 
powder, but it also yields the dark-brown 
pigment known as sepia. The crystal-like 
lenses of the creature’s eyes, moreover, were 
formerly worn by the Genoese women on 
festival days as beads, the internal surfaces 
giving forth beautiful opal-like colours. We 
also read that the ancient Peruvians utilized 
these lenses as ornaments, and in the British 
Museum there are several large specimens 
that were found in the eyes of some Peruvian 
mummies. Furthermore, it is stated that 
the inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands 


166 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


went so far as to dispose of them as 
pearls. 

A fully-grown cuttle-fish measures about 
ten inches in length and six inches in breadth, 
while its ordinary or sessile arms are about 
five inches long, and its tentacular ones eighteen 
inches, the latter being entirely retractile 
within the creature’s head. The animal ap¬ 
pears to resort to the practice of discharging 
its “ ink ” much more freely than other cepha- 
lopods, and the quantity of the fluid it is able 
to secrete is also much greater. Although 
it is found around the British shores, as well 
as in many other parts of the world, yet, 
probably, few of us have ever seen a living 
example. 

Possibly, however, we may have come across 
their eggs, even without being aware of the 
fact, for these are frequently washed up upon 
the shore after a storm. 

They look exactly like black grapes, and 
feel as if they were made of india-rubber, 
every one having a flexible stalk, and a number 
of them being fastened together in a bunch, 
attached to a piece of seaweed. 

Each of these grape-like capsules contains 
a single young one which, when first born, 
is about the size of a sixpence. 

It is possible to remove the baby prema- 


SQUIDS, CUTTLE-FISH, AND THEIR ALLIES 167 


turely from its egg by breaking asunder the 
investing skin and liberating the occupant, 
and even at such an innocent age it will squirt 
ink over one’s fingers in an endeavour to escape 
from its captor. 


CHAPTER XI 

SNAILS AND SLUGS 


HE term “ snail ” is applied to a number 



A of different creatures belonging to a class 
known in zoological nomenclature as Gastropods 
—from gaster, “ belly,” and pous, “ foot,” and 
referring to the fact that the creatures creep 
along by expanding and contracting the under- 
part of their body or “foot.” 

From a popular point of view, however, the 
name is usually employed to describe only 
those members that possess a shell within which 
the animals retract their bodies, but as some of 
the gastropods are unprovided with such a 
form of protection—a well-known example being 
the black slug (Arion empiricorum )—it will be 
seen that the distinction is not altogether a 
correct one. 

In the early state of their existence, all snails 
are provided with a shell, but as they grow up 
this may disappear, or may become hidden 
beneath their flesh in the form of a small, 
flattened and elongated plate. 


168 


SNAILS AND SLUGS 


169 


The creatures are found in all parts of the 
world, even in desert regions and at high 
altitudes up to an elevation of ten thousand 
feet. Some are terrestrial in habits ; others, 
such as the whelks, the periwinkles and limpets, 
dwell in the sea, and others are found in 
fresh waters. They appear to possess great 
tenacity of life, for they can exist without 
partaking of food for a considerable length of 
time. 

The land snails, although habitually undertak¬ 
ing long fasts—those dwelling in cold countries 
burying themselves beneath the ground during 
the winter, and those that live in hot climates 
passing through a torpid state during the 
hottest and driest months of the year—some¬ 
times extend the normal period of abstinence, 
and have been known to live for four or five 
years without food. 

In regard to their external appearance, the 
shells of snails display great diversity of colour¬ 
ing, some being brown, some yellow, and others 
pink or lilac, the ground tints frequently being 
decorated with dark-coloured bands. In the 
case of the wood-snail (Helix nemoralis), the 
variations of its shell are so great that no less 
than eighty-nine different kinds of markings 
have been recorded in British specimens 
alone. 


170 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


All snails originate from eggs which, in the 
majority of cases, are laid in the form of jelly-like 
globules by the female. Sometimes, however, 
the eggs are hatched before they see the light 
of day, the young being born in a fully developed 
state. 

The number of eggs laid by different species 
of snails is also very variable, the marine forms 
producing many more than the terrestrial 
ones. 

The well-known sea-snail or whelk deposits 
its eggs in a mass of capsules, of which there 
may be as many as six hundred, each one 
containing several hundred eggs. On the other 
hand, the giant snails (Achatina) lay only a few 
eggs during a season, but these are of enormous 
dimensions, almost equalling those of a thrush 
in size, and possessing a hard, brittle and whitish 
shell. It is of interest to note that the albu¬ 
minous or “ white ” matter in these eggs is 
frequently employed for the purpose of repairing 
broken glass or china. 

Although we all know the common garden- 
snail {Helix aspersa) by sight, yet in all proba¬ 
bility our acquaintance with it is only of a very 
casual nature, the creature usually being crushed 
underfoot at sight, or else, in the case of the 
more humane ones among us, being furtively 
lobbed over the garden fence to browse upon 


SNAILS AND SLUGS 


171 


the herbage in our neighbour’s garden. If, 
however, we were to stop and examine one of 
these creatures more closely, we should find 
that it exhibited many interesting features. 
Its head, for instance, is furnished with two 
pairs of tentacles or “ horns,” the eyes being 
situated upon the extremities of the hindermost 
and longer ones. The greater part of its body 
is permanently enclosed within the shell, but 
when the animal is progressing it protrudes an 
organ known as the “ foot,” which tapers 
behind and is furnished with a mucous gland 
that secretes the slimy trail that marks its 
passage as it crawls along. 

All snails are provided with a so-called 
“ tongue ” or lingual ribbon that is fixed to the 
floor of the mouth, the under surface or “radula ” 
being covered with a multitude of small and 
pointed tooth-like excrescences that are coated 
with a hard substance called chitin. These 
teeth, which are arranged in a series of rows and 
are capable of being erected at the will of the 
owner, vary considerably in number in the 
different species of the snail family, the common 
garden-snail possessing about one thousand five 
hundred, while the great black slug has as many 
as thirty thousand. 

When feeding, the animals pass their tongues 
backwards and forwards over their food, the 


172 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


sharp projections acting as a rasp and breaking 
the food up into small particles. As the teeth 
become worn by constant use, they are replaced 
by others which are continually forming at the 
basal end of the tongue-ribbon, and pushing 
their way forward. 

The teeth of whelks, although fewer in number 
than in the land snails, are larger and more 
powerful; being especially adapted for boring 
holes through the shells of mussels and oysters, 
thereby enabling them to reach and feed upon 
the soft parts of their victims. 

That snails are endowed with a considerable 
degree of strength has been proved by experi¬ 
ments carried out especially with a view to test 
their muscular power. On one occasion two 
garden-snails were “ harnessed ” by narrow 
pieces of tape to a toy gun-carriage made of 
lead, and not only did the novel steeds succeed 
in pulling along their burden with ease, but 
they also made equal progress when the gun- 
carriage was filled with shot. To try their 
powers even further, a small brass cannon was 
then attached to the gun-carriage, and although 
the combined weight of the load amounted to 
fifteen ounces, the snails continued on their 
course without difficulty. 

This achievement, however, was surpassed 
by the efforts of another pair of snails which 


SNAILS AND SLUGS 


173 


succeeded in drawing along a toy waggon with 
a kilogramme weight (over two pounds) placed 
upon the top; while a further record was 
made by a snail that moved a load of over 
three pounds, the experimenter stating that 
this was accomplished after only four days’ 
training. 

In case any of my readers may feel inclined 
to set up a stable of these mettlesome steeds, 
a few words of advice in regard to the manner 
of harnessing them may be of service, the result 
of the experiments depending a great deal upon 
how this is carried out. Narrow tape or, better 
still, strong thread should be used for the traces, 
one end being fastened to the carriage, while 
the other should be attached to another short 
thread, the two extremities of which are fixed 
on either side of the creature’s shell by means 
of wax or plaster. It is important, however, 
that the harness be set at a proper height so 
that the snail is enabled to obtain a straight 
pull, and thus avoid being lifted upwards during 
its progress. 

To those who are ambitious to own and drive 
a “ four-in-hand,” it may be pointed out that 
some difficulty may arise from the fact that 
the steeds cannot be guaranteed to step out 
together or to pull evenly. But this drawback 
may be overcome by fixing a short length of 


174 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


elastic to either end of the traces, thereby 
keeping them taut during the interval when the 
snails are extending themselves in preparation 
for their forward journey. 

It is generally stated that a snail cannot live 
out of its shell, but, possibly, it would be 
more correct to say that it is almost, if not 
quite, impossible to remove one from its 
domicile without causing it fatal injury. Re 
that as it may, however, there can be no doubt 
that snails do not make a general practice of 
coming forth into the world in a naked and 
unprotected state, although the writer knew 
of one individual that did indulge in such a 
strange pastime. Notwithstanding that this, 
snail was of the common or garden variety, it 
was quite uncommon in appearance, as a 
glance at our photograph of the creature will 
show, its shell, instead of being compactly 
coiled over its body, being extended into 
elongated and open spirals. Its habits, more¬ 
over, were in keeping with its curious appear¬ 
ance, for one day it was discovered crawling 
about its vivarium without the protection of 
its shell. It was promptly replaced within its 
proper quarters, where it remained for some 
time, but at length it came out once more 
and took another walk abroad. Whether it 
caught cold owing to its having gone out. 


SNAILS AND SLUGS 


175 


without sufficient clothing the writer is unable 
to say, but, unfortunately, it only lived 
for a few days after indulging in this strange 
behaviour. 

Another snail found in this country is the 
edible, vine or apple snail {Helix pomatia), as 
it is variously called. It should be pointed 
out, however, that its scientific name has 
nothing to do with the Latin word pomum, 
“ an apple,” but is derived from the Greek 
poma, “ a lid,” and refers to the fact that 
the snail closes up the opening of its shell 
during the winter months with a calcareous 
covering. 

The term “ apple ” is given to the creature 
owing to the compact and rounded shape of its 
shell, while that of “ vine ” is employed because 
it is fed on vine leaves in those parts where it is 
specially fattened for human consumption. The 
snail is also spoken of as the Roman snail 
owing to the commonly received belief that the 
animal was introduced into this country by the 
Romans in order that they might continue to 
feast upon their favourite dish when they were 
away from their homeland. 

Nowadays, however, this supposition does 
not receive credence by the majority of natural¬ 
ists, and it has even been suggested that the 
snail was unknown to the Romans, the species 


176 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


found in Central Italy being of another kind. 
Then, again, Mr. G. Jeffreys, in a letter to the 
Field, points out the significant fact that among 
the remains from a Roman villa in North¬ 
amptonshire where quantities of whelk, oyster, 
cockle and mussel shells were found, not one of 
the edible snail was among them, notwithstand¬ 
ing the fact that numbers of the living creatures 
were to be found in abundance at a distance 
of a few miles from the site. The complete 
absence of shells has also been noted at many 
other places in England where the Romans 
were known to have encamped or built their 
cities. 

Edible snails are eaten extensively by the 
inhabitants of France, Spain and Italy, and 
are even appreciated by some people as an 
item of diet in this country; the creatures, for 
preference, being boiled in spring water, and 
afterwards seasoned with salt, pepper and oil, 
to taste. Mr. Cameron, in his book, The Wild 
Foods of Great Britain, states that in the South 
Cotswold country the demand for them is so 
great that their market price is invariably 
displayed outside the provision shops in the 
Gloucestershire town of Wotton-under-Edge; 
while another authority tells us that one hundred 
thousand edible snails are consumed every year 
in London alone, the creatures being largely 



EGGS OF CUTTLE-FISH—THEY LOOK LIKE BLACK GRAPES AND FEEL LIKE 

INDIA-RUBBER. 


See p. 166. 



EGG CAPSULES OF THE WHELK. 


See p. 170. 







A GIANT SNAIL AND ITS EGG. 


See p. 170. 



AN ABNORMAL VARIETY OF THE COMMON SNAIL. 

See p. 174. 









SNAILS AND SLUGS 


177 


used for the purpose of giving a glaze to pastry, 
and as a thickening to soup. 

The industry of rearing snails is one of 
considerable magnitude on the Continent, and 
it is reported that as many as eighty thousand 
of these dainties are fattened for the table at 
a single “ farm ” in Switzerland. During the 
season of Lent, the Parisians are stated to 
consume fifty tons of snails daily, largely owing 
to the fact that they are not regarded as 4 4 flesh 
or fowl ” by the Roman Catholic Church. That 
such a rate of consumption has resulted in a 
shortage of snails is not to be wondered at, and 
we read that the local authorities of the Cote 
d’Or have proclaimed a close season between 
April 15 and July 15 every year, during which 
period it is illegal to capture the creatures that 
are under their jurisdiction. 

The edible snail passes the winter under¬ 
ground, and, as previously stated, seals up the 
opening of its shell with a calcareous matter 
that serves to keep out the cold and damp. 
But unlike that of the majority of snails, this 
covering is not pierced with small breathing 
holes, although it is believed to be sufficiently 
porous to admit air. The eggs of the female, 
which are laid in June within the shelter of 
holes made in the earth, are about the size of 
a pea, of a jelly-like consistency, and greyish 


178 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


in colour. Their incubation period varies from 
twenty to forty days, according to the degree 
of temperature they are subjected to; the 
young eventually eating their way through 
the enveloping skin and commencing a free 
existence. 

Beyond forming an item of diet for human 
beings, snails are also appreciated by various 
kinds of birds. Sheep, moreover, are said to 
fatten on a small species of Helix which inhabits 
sandy districts in this country. 

On the other hand, a small water snail 
(Limncea truncatula) is responsible for spreading 
the dangerous disease known as “ liver-fluke ” 
among sheep, the liver-fluke itself being a flat¬ 
tened and leaf-like worm, about an inch in 
length, that passes the early state of its existence 
within the snail. 

As the metamorphosis of the fluke proceeds, 
it eventually takes leave of its host, making its 
way out of the water and fixing itself upon a 
blade of grass. Should this grass be eaten 
by a sheep, the fluke continues to make a 
further transformation within the animal’s 
stomach, finally finding its way to the liver 
of its new host and setting up the dreaded 
malady. 

A well-known snail found inhabiting ponds 
and slow-running streams in this country is 


SNAILS AND SLUGS 


179 


the common pond snail, a species that is very 
useful as an inmate of an aquarium because it 
feeds upon rotting vegetation, thereby keeping 
the water from becoming stale. Although it 
spends much of its time crawling about in the 
usual snail-like fashion, it frequently comes to 
the surface to breathe, when it often floats in 
an inverted position. 

Notwithstanding that the water snails are 
aquatic in habits, most of them will drown if 
submerged beneath the water for too long a 
time. This, however, does not apply to a water 
snail found in Madagascar, which possesses 
gills that enable it to extract the air held in 
the water. 

The ramshorn snail and the viviparous pond 
snail are other species to be met with in this 
country, the former inhabiting stagnant pools 
and ditches, and the latter selecting the mud- 
bed for its habitation. The ramshorn snail, 
which has the curious habit of ejecting a purple- 
coloured fluid when alarmed, receives its name 
from the flattened and tightly-coiled nature of 
its shell; while the viviparous snail, as implied 
by its name, is so called on account of the fact 
that its young are brought forth in a fully 
developed state, instead of being hatched from 
eggs laid by the female. 

Very curious are the amphibious snails or 


180 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


bottle-shells (Ampullaria) that are found in 
the marsh districts of tropical countries, for 
not only can they exist equally as well in 
water as on dry land, but they are also provided 
with both lungs and gills which enable the 
creatures to indulge in a double means of 
respiration, namely, by extracting the oxygen 
held in the water, and by taking a supply direct 
from the atmosphere. Professor Semper states 
that they make use of their gills and lungs in 
regular alternation, “ for a certain time they 
inhale air at the surface of the water, forming 
a hollow, elongated tube by incurving the 
margin of the mantle, so that the hollow surface 
is closed against the water and open only at 
the top. When they have sucked in a sufficient 
quantity of air, they reverse the margin of the 
mantle, opening the tube, into which the water 
streams.” When living entirely out of water 
the creatures, of course, only make use of their 
lungs for breathing purposes. Like the edible 
snail, ampullaria is sometimes called the apple 
snail because of the globular nature of its 
shell. It can live for a long time out of water, 
some having been kept for several years out of 
that element. 

Inhabiting Africa, Madagascar, New Caledonia 
and other adjacent islands are some enormous 
land snails that sometimes attain to a length 


SNAILS AND SLUGS 


181 


of seven and a half inches, to which previous 
mention has been made in reference to the 
large size of their eggs. Unlike the majority 
of snails which subsist upon fresh herbage, it 
appears that these giants, or some of them at 
all events, feed upon decaying vegetation. 
Mr. L. Harger, writing upon his observations 
of these snails, tells us that he could not 
remember ever having seen any feeding upon 
green or growing vegetation, but, on the other 
hand, when in Nyassaland, he observed them 
browsing upon that which was decayed, the 
leaves being sodden and having lost their 
green colour. It is also recorded that a speci¬ 
men kept in confinement refused to par¬ 
take of a vegetarian diet, but satisfied its 
appetite by eating another snail. In New 
Caledonia the French colonists eat these giant 
snails. 

Snails have for long been regarded by many 
country-folk as possessing medicinal properties, 
the creatures being prepared in various ways, 
and administered to a patient both internally 
and externally. 

Of the many recipes that have been handed 
down to us from the past, possibly the most 
curious and elaborate one was that favoured 
by the mother of General James Wolfe as a 
means of combating her son’s lack of robust- 


182 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


ness during his youth ; particulars of which 
appeared in the pages of the Observer , as 
follows : 

“ Wash a peck of garden snails in beer, 
put them in an oven, and let them stay there 
till they have done crying; then prick the 
green from them with a fork, and beat them, 
shells and all, in a stone mortar. Take a quart 
of green earthworms, slice them through the 
middle, and stew them with salt; then wash 
and beat them, and place them in a pot in a 
still, with two handfuls of angelica, a quart of 
rosemary flowers, two handfuls each of agrimony, 
bear’s-foot, red dock roots, barbery brake, 
biloney, wormwood, one handful of rue-tumeric, 
and one ounce of saffron.” 

The dose of this mixture was two table¬ 
spoonfuls at a time. 

Before closing our remarks upon the typical 
snails, it may be of interest to mention a small 
species found in the Sandwich Islands that has 
the peculiar power of being able to emit 
musical sounds which have been likened by 
one writer to those produced by 44 hundreds of 
iEolian harps.” Although it is not definitely 
known how these sounds are caused, it is 
generally assumed that the creature produces 
them by rubbing its shell against the bark of 
trees. 


183 


SNAILS AND SLUGS 

Passing to the slugs, a popular term 
applied to those members of the snail family 
in which the shell is usually absent or 
rudimentary, we come to a group that are 
mainly vegetarian feeders, although certain 
kinds partake freely of a carnivorous diet. 
All are endowed with a voracious appetite, 
as owners of gardens will know to their 
cost. 

The largest slug found in Great Britain is 
the great grey slug (.Limax maximus), a creature 
that attains to a length of six inches or 
more. It is found in damp situations, either 
out of doors or in cellars, and hides dur¬ 
ing the daytime, coming forth to feed at 
dusk. A parasitic mite is often found upon 
the body of this slug, and is believed to 
dwell within the respiratory cavity of its 
host. 

Another species of the same genus as the 
foregoing is the milky slug (Limax agrestis), 
which receives its name from the peculiar 
milky colour of the mucus it exudes. It is 
found in abundance amidst strawberry beds, 
and causes much damage to the fruit. It also 
feeds upon earthworms. These slugs are very 
prolific and bring forth several families during 
the course of a year, the late Mr. Lydekker 
stating that “ a single pair have been known 


184 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


to lay nearly eight hundred eggs.” When 
descending to the ground from a shrub or 
branch of a tree, some of the Limacidce lower 
themselves by means of a slimy secretion at 
the end of the tail, the substance being dis¬ 
charged in the form of a long thread which 
quickly hardens upon exposure to the air, and 
enables the creature to support its weight 
thereby. 

The black slug {Avion empiricorum) is 
another common species found in this 
country. In spite of its name, however, it 
is not always black in colour, for reddish, 
brown, yellow, green and white specimens 
are frequently to be met with, even in the 
same locality. It subsists chiefly upon vege¬ 
table matter, but has been known to eat 
earthworms and also the dead bodies of its 
own kind. 

In the family Testacellidce , or shelled slugs, 
we have a group in which the majority are 
provided with a shell. In many instances this 
covering is of sufficient size to enable the 
creatures to conceal themselves inside, but in 
others it is very small and situated upon the 
hinder end of the elongated body. The car¬ 
nivorous slug (Testacella halistidea) burrows 
underground to a depth of several feet, pursuing 
the earthworms upon which it chiefly feeds, 


SNAILS AND SLUGS 


185 


although it will not hesitate to sup upon its 
brethren should the opportunity arise for it to 
do so. It is only at night-time that the creature 
ventures above ground. 


CHAPTER XII 
CONCERNING VULTURES 
HERE can be little doubt that the 



A majority of people regard vultures as 
loathsome and repulsive creatures, and although 
it is difficult to say much in favour of their 
general appearance and habits, yet it cannot 
be denied that they render a very important 
service to mankind by acting as scavengers 
and removing refuse and offal which, if left 
exposed to the sun’s rays in a hot climate, 
would become a source of danger to the health 
of human beings in an incredibly short time. 
Indeed, the beneficial work of the birds in 
this respect is regarded as being so great that 
in some countries special laws have been 
passed to afford them protection. 

Most vultures attain to a considerable size, 
and the condor claims the distinction of being 
the largest of all, its outspread wings measuring 
about nine feet from tip to tip. 

Except in the case of the lammergeier or 
bearded-vulture, the head and neck of the 


186 


CONCERNING VULTURES 


187 


birds are bare, or merely covered with short 
down; a provision of Nature that enables 
them to indulge in their carrion-feeding habits 
without soiling or clogging their plumage. 
They are found in various parts of the world, 
but their distribution is mainly restricted to 
tropical and warm countries. Occasionally, 
however, they stray far from their usual 
haunts, the Egyptian vulture having been 
captured in England on two occasions, and 
once so far away as Norway; while a griffon 
vulture has been seen in Ireland. 

Vultures may be divided into two well- 
defined groups, namely, the true or Old World 
vultures, and the American or New World 
vultures. These differ the one from the other 
in many respects. The voice of the latter, 
for instance, is merely a hiss and in no way 
comparable to the full-toned and loud notes 
that their Old World brethren are capable 
of uttering. The American vultures can also 
be distinguished by the character of their 
nostrils which have no internal partition between 
them, so that, when viewed from one side, it 
is possible to see right through them. 

For long it was a matter of dispute as to 
how vultures discovered their food, and how 
it was they congregated in such vast numbers, 
and so rapidly, around a carcass or dying 


188 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


animal. Some writers were of the opinion 
that the sense of smell guided them to their 
feast, but it is now recognized that it is their 
wonderful power of sight that brings them 
together, the phenomenon being aptly described 
by Longfellow in the following lines: 

“ Never stoops the soaring Vulture 
On his quarry in the desert , 

On the sick or wounded Bison , 

But another Vulture , watching 
From his high aerial look-out , 

Sees the downward plunge , and follows ; 

And a third pursues the second , 

Coming from the invisible ether , 

First a speck , and then a Vulture , 

Till the air is dark with pinions ! 99 

Darwin confirms this fact in his writings 
upon the condor vulture, the author stating : 
“When an animal is killed in the country, it 
is well known that the condors, like other 
carrion-vultures, soon gain intelligence of it, 
and congregate in an inexplicable manner. 
In most cases, it must not be overlooked that 
the birds have discovered their prey, and have 
picked the skeleton clean, before the flesh is 
in the least degree tainted. Remembering 
the experiments of M. Andubon, on the little 
smelling powers of carrion-hawks, I tried . . . 
the following experiment: the condors were 
tied, each by a rope, in a long row at the bottom 


CONCERNING VULTURES 


189 


of a wall, and, having folded up a piece of 
meat in white paper, I walked backwards and 
forwards carrying it in my hand at the distance 
of about three yards from them, but no notice 
whatever was taken. I then threw it on the 
ground, within one yard of an old male bird; 
he looked at it for a moment with attention, 
but then regarded it no more. With a stick 
I pushed it closer and closer, until at last he 
touched it with his beak, the paper was then 
instantly torn off with fury; at the same 
moment every bird in the long row began 
struggling and flapping its wings. Under the 
same circumstances it would have been quite 
impossible to have deceived a dog.” 

A somewhat similar experiment was made 
by another naturalist with a turkey-vulture 
or turkey-buzzard, pieces of putrid offal being 
hidden beneath some thin canvas, upon the 
upper surface of which some fresh meat was 
placed. The vulture quickly ate up the latter, 
but, notwithstanding that its beak and nostrils 
were within a fraction of an inch of the con¬ 
cealed offal, it failed to discover the food until 
a small hole was made in the canvas, thereby 
revealing it to the eye of the bird. The 
experiment was then repeated, but in spite of 
the fact that the vulture had just been shown 
where the offal had previously been hidden. 


190 ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 

it again gave no sign of being aware of its 
presence. 

Of the various species of Old World vultures, 
the lammergeier or bearded-vulture is one 
of the most interesting, if merely for the fact 
that it inhabits Europe, where it is found amidst 
the Italian Alps, in Spain, and the Caucasus. 

In former days it was also met with in 
Switzerland, but is no longer to be seen in that 
country, the last one, according to report, 
having been found poisoned in the year 1887 . 

It is more eagle-like than any other vulture, 
and, as previously stated, differs from the 
typical forms by having its head and neck 
fully clothed with feathers. The tips of its 
wings and tail are very pointed, the feet are 
of a bluish-grey tint, while the eyes are curious 
on account of the iris being of a pale orange 
colour, and the surrounding part, correspond¬ 
ing to the “ white ” of a human eye, bright 
red. Its habits are also unlike those of other 
vultures, for instead of flying high in the air 
it sails along the sides of hills and mountains 
in search of its food, which consists of such 
varied items as land tortoises, small mammals 
and carrion. Bones, however, are regarded 
as a special dainty, and should these be too 
large to be swallowed whole, the bird carries 
them aloft and then lets them drop to the 


CONCERNING VULTURES 


191 


rocks below, where they break to pieces. In 
reference to this habit, the bird is called 
Quebranta-huesos (meaning “ bone-breaker ”) 
by the Spaniards ; while mention is also made 
of it in the Bible as the “ ossifrage.” The 
name “ bearded,” of course, refers to the 
curious tuft of bristle-like feathers that projects 
beneath the bird’s chin ; and that of “ lam- 
mergeier ” means “ lamb-vulture.” 

Although the bird feeds to a certain extent 
upon carrion, it will also hunt and kill animals 
on its own account. Its favourite method of 
attack is to make a sudden downward swoop 
upon its would-be victim, and in this way 
frighten or push it over a precipice. It is 
even stated that the bird will try conclusions 
with a human being in this manner. 

Under the title of griffon vultures are several 
kinds found in Eastern Europe, the greater 
part of Africa, and extending to Persia, India, 
and the Malay Peninsula. 

The typical griffon or fulvous vulture stands 
about three and a half feet in height, while 
its plumage, although subject to much variation, 
is mostly of an inconspicuous tawny or yellowish 
tint; a large white frill or ruff, however, sur¬ 
rounding the throat. 

The species known as Kolbe’s griffon vulture 
is called by the Boers the Aas-vogel , or “ carrion 


192 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


bird,” while it is also spoken of as the “ white- 
crow ” on account of its pale-coloured plumage. 

But the most handsome of all is RuppelTs 
griffon vulture, the feathers upon the lower 
part of the back being brown, and boldly 
marked with a broad yellowish-grey edging. 

Griffon vultures feed chiefly upon carrion, 
but some of them will also eat locusts, and even 
small tortoises, the latter being swallowed 
whole. 

They are able to go without food for several 
days on end without suffering any great in¬ 
convenience, but when they do break their 
fast they make up for lost time by gorging 
themselves to the utmost. Canon Tristam 
gives an interesting account of a griffon he 
obtained as a nestling and brought to England. 
He writes : “I have seen our pet . . . attack 
the entrails of a camel, and, as his crop became 
extended, sink upon his breast, unable to stand, 
till at length, even this position being too 
much for him, he lay on his side, still eating, 
until, overpowered and helpless, he fell asleep. 
This enormous capacity for food, combined 
with the power of long abstinence, is a wonder¬ 
ful provision of creative wisdom for carrion- 
feeders, whose supply is so uncertain, while 
the necessity for the immediate removal of 
offensive matter is so urgent. The strength 



THE LAMMERGEIER OR BEARDED VULTURE. 

See p. 190. 



KOLBE’S GRIFFON-VULTURE, CALLED BY THE BOERS 
THE “ AAS-VOGEL,” OR “CARRION-BIRD.” 

See p. 191. 













THE PONDICHERRY OR EARED VULTURE. 

See p. 193. 



THE EGYPTIAN VULTURE OR “ PHARAOH’S CHICKEN.” 

See p. 194. 













CONCERNING VULTURES 


193 


of the vulture’s stomach is equal to its capacity, 
for on one occasion one of our griffons devoured 
a half pound of arsenical soap, with no further 
inconvenience than a violent fit of vomiting.” 

Most griffon vultures construct a large nest, 
composed of sticks, upon the rocks ; but the 
Himalayan griffon sometimes appropriates the 
nest of an eagle, thereby saving itself the 
trouble of building. 

Although vultures have not bred in this 
country, some Kolbe’s griffons have built and 
laid eggs on several occasions at the London 
Zoological Gardens. In their native home of 
South Africa these birds nest during July and 
August (the winter months in that country), 
and it is of interest to note that in captivity in 
England they still nest during that season, 
selecting the months of January and February. 

A very curious type is the Pondicherry or 
eared-vulture of India, so called because of 
the pendent and fleshy lappets of bare skin 
that hang from either side of the head; these, 
as well as the head itself and the upper part 
of the neck, being of a cherry-red tint. 

It is also known as the king-vulture, or 
raj-sogno, because it forces other vultures to 
give way to it during a feast; but the true 
king-vulture, it should be mentioned, is an 
American bird which, in a like manner to the 


N 


194 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


Indian species, holds ascendancy over its 
brethren by reason of its more powerful 
physique. 

The Pondicherry vulture is by no means a 
common species, and it is rarely that more 
than a pair are seen together. Its nest, built 
amidst the branches of a tree, is made entirely 
of sticks, the interior being lined with smaller 
twigs. 

As the structure is utilized for several 
seasons, and new material is added every 
year, it eventually attains to enormous dimen¬ 
sions, one being recorded that weighed 6 cwt. 

From the point of view of utility as a 
scavenger, the Egyptian vulture or “ Pharaoh’s- 
chicken ” is probably the most efficient of all, 
for no substance is of too disgusting a nature 
for it to feed upon. Indeed, it has been 
described as the foulest-feeding bird that 
lives. 

It is a comparatively small species, only 
measuring about thirty inches in length, while 
its plumage is mostly creamy-white in colour, 
the tips of the wings, however, being black. 
Sometimes spoken of as the white scavenger 
vulture, the bird was frequently depicted upon 
the monuments of the ancient Egyptians. 
Its nest, which may be built in a tree, on the 
bare rock, or even on buildings in the outskirts 


CONCERNING VULTURES 195 

of towns and villages, is curious in the fact 
that it is usually lined with rags and other 
soft materials. 

Colonel Irby records having found one that 
contained a pound of tow, and the sleeve of a 
discarded coat; while another writer states 
that old slippers, wool, camel’s hair and rags 
were used to form the bed of one of these 
domiciles. 

Mr. Hume also tells us that in certain parts 
it is the custom of the natives to tear off a 
strip of their clothing and hang it up on the 
branches of particular trees where the vultures 
nest, this, in all probability, being done from 
semi-religious motives. 

Of the New World or American vultures, 
by far the most imposing is the condor, its 
outstretched wings measuring nine feet or 
more from tip to tip. The adult male is an 
exceptionally attractive-looking bird (for a 
vulture), its neck being encircled with a full 
and downy ruff of white feathers, and the top 
of the head being surmounted with a large, 
upstanding and fleshy wattle, a feature that 
is absent in the hen birds. 

One of the most interesting and graphic 
accounts of the condor is given by Darwin. 
He tells us that “ condors may sometimes be 
seen at a great height, soaring over a certain 


196 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


spot in the most graceful circles. On some 
occasions I am sure that they do this only for 
pleasure, but on others the Chileno country¬ 
man tells you that they are watching a dying 
animal, or a puma devouring its prey. If the 
condors glide down, and then suddenly all rise 
together, the Chileno knows that it is the 
puma which, watching the carcass, has sprung 
out to drive away the robbers. Besides feeding 
on carrion, the condors frequently attack 
young goats and lambs, and the shepherd- 
dogs are trained, whenever they pass over, 
to run out and, looking upwards, to bark 
violently.” 

Several methods are employed to capture 
condors, one of which is to lasso them when 
they are gorged and unable to rise quickly 
from the ground, while another way is to place 
a carcass upon the earth, an enclosure of sticks, 
with an entrance left open at one end, being 
made around the bait. When the condors 
have repleted themselves with food, men gallop 
up on horseback, and the birds are then easily 
captured as they have not enough room within 
the enclosure to enable them to run along the 
ground before rising into the air. A third 
method is to noose the birds at night when 
they are roosting amidst the branches of the 
trees, a task that is not so difficult to accomplish 


CONCERNING VULTURES 


197 


as one might imagine, owing to the fact that 
they are very heavy sleepers. 

Describing the flight of the condor, the 
previously mentioned authority states: 
“ Except when rising from the ground, I do 
not recollect ever having seen one of these 
birds flap its wings. Near Lima I watched 
several for nearly half an hour, without once 
taking off my eyes: they moved in large 
curves, sweeping in circles, descending and 
ascending without giving a single flap.” 

Many sensational tales have been written 
about condors picking up children with their 
feet and then flying away with them, but as 
their hindermost toes are extremely small, 
and the whole foot has comparatively little 
grasping power, such an accomplishment is 
quite beyond their powers to achieve. 

Another American species, of more than 
usual interest because it is now almost extinct, 
is the Californian vulture. It was never very 
plentiful in its haunts, and its decimation was 
brought about by cattle-owners putting down 
poisoned meat for the purpose of killing animals 
that preyed upon their flocks. 

Mention must also be made of the turkey- 
vulture, or turkey-buzzard as it is usually 
called in North America, a species that is more 
widely distributed than any other New World 


198 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


vulture, its range extending over the greater 
part of tropical and temperate America, and 
into the West Indies. 

In some of the villages and towns of the 
United States they are found in considerable 
numbers, roaming about the streets and sitting 
upon the roofs of the houses without fear. 
Like many other kinds of vultures they are 
unable to restrain their appetite should the 
opportunity arise whereby they can gorge 
themselves, and when feeding upon a large 
carcass they will continue to eat until, as one 
writer puts it, “ the food runs out of their 
mouths as they run. ’ ’ Even when thus satiated, 
should there be any food left over, the birds 
do not go far away from their dinner, but 
remain in the vicinity to digest what they 
have already partaken of, so that they can 
return to the feast at the earliest possible 
moment. 

Turkey-vultures build their nests in the 
hollows of trees, in caverns, or upon the ground 
under the shelter of a bush or rock. The 
structures are stated to have a most objection¬ 
able odour, while, moreover, the adult birds 
have the unpleasant habit of ejecting the 
contents of their stomach at any person who 
molests them. 

The black vulture is another familiar species 


CONCERNING VULTURES 199 

found in America, being especially plentiful 
in the United States, where it is known as the 
carrion-crow; but the most remarkable of all 
is the American king-vulture, the naked skin 
of the male bird’s head and neck being decorated 
with various shades of orange, purple, and 
crimson, while the plumage is mostly of a 
creamy-fawn colour. Several large and fleshy 
wattle-like growths or caruncles are present 
upon the head in front of the eyes, but in the 
hen bird this curious form of decoration is 
reduced to a single upstanding wattle situated 
over the nostrils. 

The American king-vulture is by no means 
plentiful in its haunts. It is stated to be of a 
nervous and suspicious disposition, and its 
habit of sitting in the tree-tops where it gets 
an uninterrupted view over the surrounding 
country renders it a difficult bird to approach. 

Hailing from Africa is a remarkable bird 
known as the secretary bird. Although com¬ 
monly called a vulture, it differs in so many 
respects from the typical forms that it is placed 
by ornithologists as the sole representative of 
a distinct family. In external appearance the 
bird certainly has little in common with the 
vultures, for its legs are so long as to resemble 
those of a crane or stork. Its head and neck, 
moreover, are fully feathered, while a bunch 


200 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


of long plumes, which arises from the back of 
the head, and looks as if the bird were holding 
some quill pens behind its ears, are characteristic 
features from which it obtains its name. 

Frequently attaining to a stature of four 
feet or more, the secretary bird has for long 
been famed as a killer of venomous snakes, and 
owing to the benefits it renders to mankind 
in this way it receives the protection of special 
laws enacted on its behalf. 

Its diet, however, appears to be a somewhat 
varied one, for in addition to snakes it will also 
eat birds, lizards, rats, small tortoises, locusts, 
grasshoppers and other forms of insect life. 

When attacking a poisonous snake such as 
a cobra, the bird displays a considerable degree 
of caution, evidently being aware of the for¬ 
midable nature of the reptile’s bite. Facing 
its prey it awaits a favourable opportunity 
to commence its onslaught, and when the 
selected moment arrives it delivers forward 
and downward blows with its feet upon the 
reptile’s body. 

Should the bird fail to kill the snake at the 
first effort, it quickly springs backwards out 
of the reach of the infuriated creature, opening 
its wings and holding them in front of itself 
to act as a shield. When it has succeeded 
in dispatching its prey, it wastes no time before 


CONCERNING VULTURES 


201 


commencing to eat it, the reptile being swallowed 
whole, tail end first. 

Secretary birds will become very tame in 
captivity, and in Africa the natives frequently 
keep them as pets and allow them to roam 
about their houses. A sharp look-out must 
be kept upon them, however, when there is 
poultry about, for they will not hesitate to 
make a meal of the young chickens should the 
opportunity arise for them to do so. 


CHAPTER XIII 

NO EYES, AND MULTIPLE EYES 


W E are all aware that the young of many 
different kinds of animals are born 
blind, but it is not so generally known that 
some creatures pass the whole of their existence 
in that state ; their blindness being a normal and 
not an accidental condition, and accounted for 
by the fact that they have no external eyes or 
merely rudimentary vestiges of those organs. 

Among the mammals that are unable to see 
is the long-snouted dolphin or susu, found in 
the Ganges, Indus and Bramaputra rivers. It 
occasionally grows to a length of rather more 
than nine feet, and is curious in the fact that 
its back fin is rudimentary and merely repre¬ 
sented by a low ridge. The front of its head, 
moreover, rises so abruptly from the base of its 
long snout as to make the creature look as if 
it were suffering from water on the brain. 

It feeds principally upon fish and prawns, 
searching for the same by probing amidst the 
mud with its sensitive beak, the jaws of which 
202 


NO EYES, AND MULTIPLE EYES 203 

are armed with an array of sharp teeth, number¬ 
ing about thirty on either side. When adult 
the sexes may easily be distinguished the one 
from the other, the female being larger than the 
male and possessing a longer snout. 

Being a mammal and not a fish, the animal 
has to come to the surface of the water from 
time to time in order to inflate its lungs with 
air, the intervals of its respirations being about 
every half or three-quarters of a minute. 
Sometimes when thus engaged it will only rise 
sufficiently to expose its blowhole above water, 
but often it progresses in the manner of a 
porpoise, and during cold weather it will 
become so frisky as to leap right out of the 
water. 

Although one frequently hears the expression 
“ as blind as a bat,” it is hardly necessary to 
state that there is no truth in the epithet. 
Neither is the mole nor the legless lizard known 
as the blind-worm afflicted in this manner, in 
spite of popular belief. It is true there is a 
species of mole called the blind-mole (Talpa 
cceca), found in Italy, Dalmatia and Greece, 
and more rarely in Switzerland and the South 
of France, but this differs little from the common 
mole except that its tiny eyes are covered with 
a membraneous skin pierced with a minute 
hole which naturally renders the creature’s 


204 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


vision very defective and inferior to that of 
the common mole. 

In some of the mole-rats the eyes are of a 
rudimentary nature, one species called the 
strand-mole (Bathyergus) having such minute 
ones that they are no larger than the head of 
a pin ; while the great mole-rat is even worse off 
for those organs are entirely covered with skin. 

In spite of their name, the mole-rats are 
not related to the moles, the latter belonging 
to the insectivorous order while the former are 
rodents. In external appearance, however, 
they are very like moles—the large head which 
joins the body without any appreciable neck ; 
the soft, short and thick fur that has the curious 
property of lying flat and unruffled no matter 
in which direction it be brushed; and the 
short limbs furnished with powerful claws, all 
being mole-like characteristics. 

Their habits also resemble those of the mole, 
inasmuch as they dwell underground, excavate 
long tunnels, and throw up mounds of earth 
during their progress beneath the soil; but 
unlike the former creature they do not feed 
upon worms, but upon roots and bulbs. 

The great mole-rat is found in South-East 
Europe, Lower Egypt, Syria, Persia, and Meso¬ 
potamia. Its subterranean tunnels are stated 
to be of a very elaborate nature, some of the 


NO EYES, AND MULTIPLE EYES 205 

galleries extending for a distance of as much as 
one hundred and twenty feet, and terminating 
in enlarged sleeping-chambers, or storehouses 
for the reception of their food. 

Found in the subterranean waters in the 
Kentucky caves is a fish (Amblyopsis spelcea) 
that is entirely blind and has no external traces 
of eyes. It is quite a small species, rarely 
exceeding five inches in length, and its ventral 
fins are rudimentary, or may even be absent. 
Its skin is of a pale and colourless tint, that 
upon the head being naked, and that upon the 
body being covered with minute scales. 

Unlike the majority of fish, in which the 
young are hatched from eggs laid by the 
females, it is one of the few species that bring 
forth living fry. 

As it is necessary for the fish to eat in order 
to live, the reader may very well inquire how 
can it capture its food if it is unable to see it ? 

But Nature has provided for its needs by 
endowing it with a very acute sense of hearing 
and, more important still, a series of very 
sensitive organs of touch, consisting of numerous 
ridges or wrinkles situated on either side of the 
head, that enable it to find its way about in 
the dark. 

The fish obtains most of its food near the 
surface of the water—few living creatures 


206 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


inhabiting the depths of the subterranean 
streams—the capture of its prey being rendered 
more easy owing to its mouth being directed 
upwards in such a manner that, when the fish 
makes a bite, it has not to poise itself so 
obliquely beneath its prey as other surface¬ 
feeding fish have to do. Its head, moreover, 
is very flat at the top, thereby enabling the 
creature to swim quite near to the surface, 
ready to snap up anything that may come 
within its reach. 

In one respect, however, its surface-feeding 
habits are detrimental to its welfare, for the 
fish is quite easy to catch with a net or even in 
one’s hand, although complete silence must be 
kept, otherwise it will promptly dive down to 
the depths and disappear from view. 

Other fish that share with the foregoing the 
inability to see are the blind soles, of which 
there are two different kinds. In both the eyes 
are rudimentary, and the pectoral or breast 
fins are absent. 

Also inhabiting the waters of underground 
caves is a curious batrachian called the olm 
or proteus. Found in Dalmatia, Carinthia and 
Carniola, the creature grows to a length of 
about eighteen inches, and possesses a long, 
slender and snake-like body which terminates 
in a vertically-flattened tail. The tiny limbs 


NO EYES, AND MULTIPLE EYES 207 

are furnished with miniature toes, those upon 
the fore-feet being three in number, while 
only two are present upon the hind limbs. 
The skin is quite smooth and normally of a 
pale flesh tint, but if the creature be kept 
in captivity and be exposed to light for some 
time, the skin ultimately assumes a slightly 
mottled appearance due to a dark-coloured 
pigment that is present in the body rising to 
the surface. A number of grooves or indenta¬ 
tions are present upon the sides of the body, 
and a bunch of feather-like and bright red 
gills or branchiae arises from either side of the 
head ; while to add to its peculiarities its eyes 
are entirely concealed beneath the skin and 
only revealed externally by minute dots. 

The proteus possesses both gills and lungs, 
and is therefore able to make use of a double 
means of respiration. As a rule, however, the 
animal spends its time in the depths of the 
subterranean waters and extracts the oxygen 
held therein with the aid of its gills, but 
occasionally it will rise to the surface and 
inflate its lungs with air taken direct from the 
atmosphere. 

It is also curious in the fact that the female 
sometimes brings forth its young in a living 
and active condition, while at other times she 
lays eggs from which the larvae hatch out. 


208 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


The temperature of its surroundings appears 
largely to govern the habits of the creatures in 
this respect, those that dwell in comparatively 
warm waters being viviparous, and those that 
live in colder situations oviparous. 

Although the proteus thrives fairly well in 
captivity, it is of a very sluggish disposition and 
invariably hides itself in the darkest part of its 
aquarium. The creatures have been bred in 
captivity, the first time on record being in the 
year 1888, when a female produced seventy-six 
eggs which hatched out after a period of three 
months. The young, apart from their inferior 
size, differ little in outward appearance from 
the adults, except that their rudimentary eyes 
are somewhat larger and more sensitive to 
light, and the hind legs little more than 
excrescences. 

The proteus has lately received a considerable 
degree of notoriety in the daily press owing to 
the experiments carried out by Professor J. S. 
Huxley, Fellow of New College, Oxford, in 
conjunction with Professor Kendall, of America, 
who utilized the thyroid gland of the creature 
for administering to mentally defective children 
with a view to effecting a cure. 

Why the animal should have been named 
46 proteus ” is difficult to account for, the 
Proteus of Greek mythology being a sea-god 



THE CONDOR VULTURE, THAT HAS A WING-SPREAD 
OF NINE FEET. 

See p. 195. 



THE OLM, OR PROTEUS, THAT IS QUITE BLIND. 

See p. 206. 







HMB| 




■ 





s'. ,V. : 




* i ii 4 

' .* 2 


THE TUATERA LIZARD, THAT ONCE POSSESSED THREE EYES. 

See p. 213 . 



THE CAPE HUNTING-DOG, AN EXPERT HUNTER. 


See p. 219 







NO EYES, AND MULTIPLE EYES 209 

which was supposed to have the faculty of 
assuming different shapes, and the power to 
foretell future events. He appears to have been 
very chary in exercising his gifts of prophecy, 
however, for we are told that only those who 
had sufficient courage to seize and hold him 
while he underwent his transformations in 
form could manage to make him speak. 

In addition to those creatures we have already 
mentioned, there are several kinds of reptiles 
that are unable to see. 

The curious legless lizards, known as amphis- 
bsenas, with one exception, have their eyes 
hidden underneath their skin. 

Worm-like in form as well as in habits, 
these reptiles dwell underground, excavating 
long and narrow tunnels in the earth, and 
feeding chiefly upon worms. Some of them, 
however, take up their abode in the nests of 
saiiba ants, and prey upon their hosts as well 
as upon their eggs. 

On the rare occasions when the lizards come 
to the surface, they progress by bending their 
bodies in vertical undulations, thereby differing 
from other limbless lizards which get along 
by lateral movement. They are further remark¬ 
able in the fact that they can move equally as 
well in a backward or forward direction when 
making their way through their subterranean 

o 


210 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


galleries. Their worm-like bodies are of almost 
equal thickness throughout their length, and 
as the head is articulated to the body without 
any constriction at the neck, the two ends of 
the creature are very similar. 

Taking advantage of this fact, the natives in 
some parts exhibit the lizard as a two-headed 
snake. 

Of the sixty or seventy different species of 
these lizards, only one of them has any limbs. 
Known as the handed-amphisbsena, this reptile, 
which grows to a length of about seven inches, 
is found in California and Mexico. Its worm-like 
body is of a pinkish-brown tint, and a pair of 
absurdly small fore-legs is situated quite close 
to the head. 

Of the more typical forms, the spotted or 
sooty amphisbsena may be taken as an example. 
Receiving its name from the irregular-shaped 
and black markings upon its body, the creature 
will attain to a length of eighteen inches when 
fully grown. 

It is found in Tropical America and the West 
Indies, the natives of those parts calling it the 
“ mother of the saiibas ” owing to its curious 
habit of dwelling in the nests of those ants. 

Other burrowing and sightless reptiles are the 
blind-snakes, of which there are two distinct 
families, namely the Typhlopidce and the 


NO EYES, AND MULTIPLE EYES 211 


Olauconidce. The members of these families 
can be distinguished the one from the other by 
the arrangement of their teeth which, in the 
case of the former, are restricted to the upper 
jaw, and in the latter to the lower one. 

Their eyes are extremely small, and almost, 
if not quite, hidden beneath the scales of the 
head. All of them are worm-like creatures of 
small size, and in distribution are to be found in 
the warm regions of the world. They spend 
the greater part of their time underground, 
only coming above the surface after rain. 
Their food consists chiefly of worms, although 
millipedes, ants and the larvae of various 
insects also form a part of their diet. 

Of the lower types of animals that are blind 
we have familiar examples in the earth-worms. 
The majority of the bivalves, that include such 
well-known forms as the cockles, the mussels 
and the oysters, are also unable to see, although 
a few of them, on the other hand, such as the 
bhorny-oysters (Spondylidce), and the scallop- 
shells or pectens , are provided with a number of 
eyes that are arranged in rows along the margin 
of their mantles. 

The thorny-oysters, found attached to the 
branches of growing coral, are further curious 
in the fact that when they attain to a certain 
age their shell ceases to grow externally but 


212 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


increases in thickness internally, fresh layers of 
shell being formed, each of which is separated 
from the others by a water-filled space. 

The scallop or pecten—the latter term being 
a Latin name meaning a “ comb,” and referring 
to the flat and fan-shaped form of its shell— 
is of a bright red or orange colour. One species, 
found in the Mediterranean, has been given the 
name of “ St. James’s shell ” because its shell 
was worn as a badge by pilgrims to the Holy 
Land. 

Although some of the bivalves possess more 
than the usual complement of eyes, possibly 
the most remarkable of the multiple-eyed 
creatures are the double-eyes, four-eyed fish, 
or anableps of South America. 

They grow to a length of about a foot, have 
very broad heads, and inhabit the waters of the 
mud-flats. Each of their eyes is divided into 
two portions by a dark-coloured transverse 
band, the upper part being adapted for vision 
above the level of the water, and the lower 
part for seeing beneath that element. 

This double form of vision is rendered possible 
by the specialized structure of the lens of the 
eye, the top portion being what is termed 
lenticular—that is to say, in the form of a 
double convex lens—while the lower section is 
spherical. 


NO EYES, AND MULTIPLE EYES 213 

It appears that these fish feed chiefly upon 
insect life that skims over the water, and when 
searching for these the anableps swims along 
with the upper part of its eyes exposed above 
the surface, and the lower part beneath. 

The females, which are viviparous and larger 
than the males, carry their young in a bag-like 
structure or pouch formed of thin skin, and 
in this retreat the fry remain until they are 
old enough to look after themselves. 

One of the blennies also possesses a similar 
type of eye to that of the foregoing. 

Mention must be made of the remarkable 
tuatera lizard of New Zealand which, although 
now a normally two-eyed creature, was believed 
in past ages to have possessed a third one 
situated upon the top of its head. 

Traces of this extra eye can be found in the 
reptile at the present day, a rudimentary 
structure, known as a pineal or cyclopean eye, 
reposing at the base of the brain. 

Although this organ, which is visible through 
the somewhat transparent skin of the young 
animal, is now quite useless, it is regarded as 
representing what was once a functional eye in 
the reptile’s ancestors. 

The tuatera grows to a length of about 
twenty inches, and is of an olive or greyish 
tint, speckled with a few yellow dots. During 


214 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


the daytime it hides in holes that it excavates 
in the ground, the subterranean domain fre¬ 
quently being shared by one or more petrels. 

Mr. E. G. Boulenger tells us that “ the 
chambers measure about two feet in length, 
one foot in width, and six inches in depth, the 
entrance being only four inches in diameter. 
The creature always lies in such a position that 
its head faces the entrance to the chamber, 
ready to defend its home from intruders, biting 
and making use of its claws for that purpose.” 

Although at one time quite plentiful, the 
tuatera is now getting rare, its distribution 
being confined to the smaller islands of the 
Bay of Plenty. Its extermination in many 
of its former haunts was largely due to the 
onslaught of pigs and rats, while the greed of 
collectors and zoological dealers was another 
factor responsible for the reduction in its 
numbers. 

The previously quoted authority records the 
interesting fact that “ whereas twenty-five years 
ago a living specimen could be purchased . . . 
for twenty to thirty shillings, at the present 
time about fifteen pounds represents its market 
value.” 

The lizard thrives well in captivity, the 
solitary individual at the London Zoological 
Gardens at the time of writing having been 


NO EYES, AND MULTIPLE EYES 215 

there for ten years. In a wild state the reptile 
feeds upon worms, slugs, small lizards, and 
frogs, but those the writer has known in a 
captive state were very partial to a diet of 
dead mice. 

A very specialized type of eye is possessed 
by the arthropods or invertebrate creatures 
with jointed legs, such as the spiders, crustaceans 
and various forms of insects. Known as 
compound-eyes, these organs consist externally 
of a number of facets, each of which produces 
a separate image. 

It must not be assumed, however, that 
animals with compound eyes have a keener 
sight or greater field of vision than those 
without, for it is generally believed that the 
former type of eye is adapted more for the 
purpose of detecting movement than for the 
reception of actual images. 

Whether it is possible for an animal actually 
to visualize more than one image at a time is 
a question that the writer does not profess to 
be able to answer, yet in the chameleon we have 
a creature that can move each eye independently 
of the other, so that the one may be looking 
below and the other above, or one in a forward 
and another in a backward direction. Such 
being the case, it would not be unreasonable 
to expect that the eyes are capable of receiving 


216 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


two separate images at the same time, but how 
the brain of the animal is able to differentiate 
between those objects that are reflected before 
it and those that are behind, is certainly a 
difficult matter to explain. Then, again, the 
question at once arises as to whether the 
animal can focus simultaneously a near object 
with one eye, and a more distant object with 
the other ? 


CHAPTER XIV 
ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


I F we inquire into the habits of wild creatures, 
we shall find that they are often directed 
towards the display of some special gift, the 
animals following a more or less specified 
vocation or calling, much in the manner that 
the majority of human beings concentrate 
upon some stated occupation. 

The work of carpenters, aeronauts, under¬ 
takers, trappers, scavengers, and tailors are 
but a few of the tasks performed by the various 
members of the Animal Kingdom, and although 
their accomplishments in such respect may be 
of a very crude nature in comparison with 
those of mankind, yet the results achieved are 
often very remarkable. 

The most obvious animal vocation is that of 
a hunter, an occupation that is developed to 
a high degree in many of the carnivorous 
beasts, more especially among the various 
members of the dog and cat family. 

Just as human beings employ different 

217 


218 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


methods when hunting, so do wild creatures 
make use of various means for the purpose of 
outwitting and overpowering their prey ; some 
relying upon their fleetness of foot to enable 
them to overtake their quarry; others com¬ 
bining and hunting in packs; while others 
resort to the practice of lying in ambush and 
waiting patiently for their victims to approach. 

Of those that course or run down their prey 
the cheetah or hunting-leopard is, without 
doubt, the most proficient; its pace being so 
great for a short distance that no other living 
creature can outstrip it. It is not endowed 
with much endurance, however, and if it fails 
to overtake its quarry within a few minutes 
after commencing the chase the beast retires 
from the fray in disgust. 

But very different from that of the foregoing 
is the method employed by some of the wild 
dogs, many of which hunt in packs. Wolves, 
for instance, although usually found in small 
family parties, will frequently congregate to¬ 
gether and hunt in large numbers, especially 
during the winter months when food is scarce. 

When pressed by hunger they become both 
bold and ferocious, and many stories have 
been related of the creatures chasing the 
drivers of sledges over the snow-covered ground 
for mile after mile. So great is their perse- 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


219 


verance that even if some members of the pack 
are shot dead the rest do not give up the chase, 
a few of the animals merely stopping behind 
to devour the carcases of their defunct brethren. 

Even more ferocious than the wolves are 
the Indian wild dogs, red dogs, or dholes as 
they are variously called. Notwithstanding 
that they are very inferior in size and strength 
to the former, they are greatly feared by all 
other wild beasts, even such formidable creatures 
as bears, tigers, boars, and the enormous wild 
ox known as the gaur holding them in dread. 

Dholes associate in parties numbering from 
six to as many as thirty individuals. They 
hunt both by night and day, following their 
prey with such tenacity that its doom is merely 
a matter of time. Should the need arise they 
will keep up the chase for days on end ; and 
when the quarry is at last brought to bay they 
rush in and overwhelm it by sheer force of 
numbers, although not infrequently suffering 
from their boldness. 

They are of a wandering disposition, a habit 
largely due to the fact that when once their 
presence is made manifest in a district all 
other creatures flee terror-stricken to other 
parts. 

Another expert in the chase is the Cape 
hunting-dog, a long-legged and lean beast with 


220 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


a yellowish coat mottled with irregular-shaped 
black blotches. It is a swifter and more 
powerful animal than the dhole, and even the 
lion is said to fear it. These dogs also hunt 
in packs, so many as sixty individuals some¬ 
times being seen together. They display much 
sagacity in their mode of attack, taking it in 
turns to bear the brunt of the chase, those that 
are tired falling to the rear, while others, who 
have been reserving their strength, spurt for¬ 
ward to take their place. In this manner 
they are able to overcome and wear out the 
swiftest and most powerful antelope. 

Many birds display much ability as hunters, 
the various members of the hawk family being 
especially gifted in this occupation. Merlins, 
the smallest of our birds of prey, frequently 
course their quarry, such as larks and swallows, 
in relays, one of them taking up the chase 
while another hovers aloft ready to relieve its 
companion should it become tired. 

Passing to the vocation of a soldier, we find 
it exemplified in various ways by different 
creatures, drilling or moving in formation 
being one of the phases of military routine 
that has its counterpart in the lives of certain 
wild animals. 

Wild ducks and geese fly along in a V-shaped 
formation during their migratory journeys, 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


221 


while porpoises plough their way through the 
sea in a more or less compact body, following 
a leader. 

A very amusing story about the latter is 
related by the captain of a ship. One day 
when his vessel was passing a shoal of por¬ 
poises, and noticing that his passengers were 
very interested in watching the creatures’ 
manoeuvres, he thought he would improve the 
occasion by telling the onlookers that he could 
control their movements with the aid of his 
voice alone. In order to convince his doubting 
audience that he could accomplish what he 
had undertaken to do, he sent for a megaphone 
and proceeded with his task of drilling the 
porpoises. Shouting through the instrument, 
he commanded the creatures to turn to the 
right, and almost immediately they complied 
with his request, and in a like manner they 
also turned to the left when ordered to do so. 
This performance was continued for some 
time with unfailing success, and so astonished 
and interested were the onlookers that they 
failed to notice that when an order was given 
for the animals to turn one way the boat was 
steered in the opposite direction, the porpoises 
merely continuing in a straight line all the 
time. 

The larvae of the procession moth, when 


222 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


on their night expeditions in search of food, 
are other creatures that progress in regular 
formation. 

A single individual heads the way, and 
behind it march two others side by side. In 
the rear of these three more caterpillars take 
up their position, and behind these again are 
further rows, each successive one comprising 
one more individual than the row in front; 
the entire colony forming a wedge-shaped 
company. Arriving at their feeding ground, 
they ascend the trunks of oak trees in order to 
feed upon the leaves, and when they have 
satisfied their appetite they return to their 
hiding-places in the same marching order as 
before. 

The artilleryman is represented in the Animal 
World by the bombardier beetle (Brachinus 
crepitans), a small species found in certain 
localities of the Southern and South-Eastern 
coasts of England, being especially abundant 
in chalky districts. When irritated the beetle 
ejects an evil-smelling fluid at its foes, the 
liquid having the curious property of vaporizing 
upon contact with the atmosphere and assum¬ 
ing the form of a cloud of smoke, while the 
discharge is accomplished by a slight sound. 
Other beetles are also endowed with the power 
to secrete and eject an acrid fluid as a means 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 223 

of defence, and in one kind found in tropical 
Africa, Asia, and parts of Australia, the 
explosion accompanying its discharge is stated 
to produce a distinct sensation of heat and the 
vapour to smell like nitric acid. 

Should any of it come into contact with 
one’s hand it causes the skin to turn dark 
brown, the effects not wearing off for about 
eighteen days. 

The old-time archer is represented by the 
archer-fish or beaked chaetodon found in the 
fresh waters of North Australia, New Zealand, 
and the East Indies. It feeds principally 
upon insects for which it makes diligent search 
by swimming along the banks of streams or 
beneath trees whose leaves overhang the 
water. 

Having espied an insect the fish proceeds 
to capture its prey by shooting out a drop of 
water from its mouth, its aim being so true 
that it rarely fails to reach its mark and to 
bring the insect tumbling down into the water, 
when it is at once gobbled up. 

The fish will shoot with accuracy for a 
distance up to six feet, and when one bears 
in mind the small size of the target it will be 
realized that the creature is a marksman of 
no mean ability. 

Prom observations made of these fish kept 


224 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


in captivity, it appears that they do not thrust 
their mouths above water when shooting at 
an object, but rest in an oblique position with 
the tip of the mouth held just below the surface. 
They also have the curious habit of swimming 
backwards as well as forwards, the Russian 
naturalist Zolotnitsky stating that he has often 
seen them progress in the former direction for 
several minutes on end. 

But for the soldier-like qualities of courage 
and the readiness to give fight in offence and 
defence, we have in the warrior-ants (Formica 
sanguinea) and the Amazon ants (Formica 
rufescens) examples that not only form them¬ 
selves into veritable armies and give battle to 
rival colonies, but also take up the vocation 
of slave-dealers, raiding the nests of other ants 
and carrying off the pupae to their own homes, 
where they are hatched, reared and brought 
up to work and fight for their captors. 

The warrior-ants are larger than the Amazon 
ants, and are said to exhibit more intelligence 
when indulging in their slave-capturing expedi¬ 
tions, for, unlike the latter which make a 
headlong rush upon their victims, they lay 
siege to and surround the nest they intend to 
rob. It sometimes happens that a colony of 
warrior-ants meets a rival party of Amazons, 
with the result that a pitched battle often 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


225 


ensues, heads and legs being nipped off by the 
powerful jaws of the combatants. 

In West Africa is found a species of ant 
known as the driving or visiting ant. It 
congregates in vast armies, and when on the 
march attacks every living creature that comes 
across its path. Some idea of the formidable 
nature of these ants may be gained by the 
following story recorded by an eye-witness of 
a struggle between a swarm of driver ants and 
a venomous cerastes or horned-viper. The 
reptile, while in the act of shedding its skin, 
had been set upon by a horde of ants which 
were hanging on with their sharp pincers to 
every part of its body. The snake writhed 
about in a vain endeavour to free itself from 
its enemies, but after about a quarter of an 
hour its strength gave out, and it lay upon the 
ground stretched out at full length. In a few 
minutes, states the writer, “ its body was covered 
two inches deep with ants tearing and cutting 
away its flesh.” 

Should the driver ants happen to pass through 
a native village during their peregrinations, 
the inhabitants are forced to beat a hasty 
retreat and leave their dwellings until the 
horde has passed by. But as the creatures 
also drive away at the same time the swarm of 
rats, mice, beetles, lizards, and other objection- 

p 


226 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


able animals that lurk within the buildings, 
their visitations prove to be a benefit in disguise. 

Ants have their gentler as well as their 
sterner forms of occupation, for some of them 
take up the vocation of dairymaids or milkmaids. 
Their “ cows 55 are plant-lice, aphides or green¬ 
fly as they are variously called, and the 44 milk ” 
they yield is a colourless and sweet-tasting 
liquid or “ honey-dew ” that the insects exude 
from their bodies. The 44 milking ” process is 
conducted in a very curious manner, the ants 
encouraging the “ cows ” to expel drops of 
honey-dew by gently stroking them upon the 
body with their antennae. Sometimes the ants 
keep the aphides as prisoners, housing them in 
special dormitories or 44 stables ” that are 
excavated out of the branches of trees. Narrow 
tunnels lead to these 44 stables,” of just sufficient 
width to allow the ants to pass through, but 
not large enough to accommodate the greater 
bulk of the aphides’ bodies. 

To turn to quite a different type of occupa¬ 
tion, we find that the gentle art of thieving is 
indulged in by quite a number of creatures. 
Indeed, the majority of them are not above 
helping themselves to the goods of their fellows, 
more especially if the same be in the nature of 
food. 

Some of them, however, may be said to be 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


227 


professional thieves inasmuch as they live to a 
large extent upon the proceeds of their ill-gotten 
gains, and of these the great frigate-bird is the 
most notorious offender in such respect. 

Known also as the Son-of-the-sun, or the 
Man-of-war bird, it is found in the warm 
regions of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian 
Oceans, spending the greater part of its time 
in the air, and often journeying a great distance 
from land. 

Its food consists almost entirely of fish, which 
it obtains by forcing other sea-birds, such as 
terns and gulls, to disgorge as they fly home¬ 
wards from their fishing expeditions, the victims 
being so terrified by the attack of the robber 
that they eject a portion of their partly digested 
supper as a toll and means of escape. 

•The frigate-bird then promptly swoops down 
upon the falling spoil, and catches it in mid-air. 

The skuas, near allies to the gulls, are other 
birds that indulge in a practice similar to the 
foregoing, but they are also very partial to a 
diet of eggs, a liking that is also shared by the 
jay and the magpie. 

Then, again, the caracara hawk (Polyborus 
cheriway) of the Southern States of North 
America often helps itself to the fish captured 
by pelicans; the thief, although of diminutive 
proportions in comparison with the former, 


228 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


pouncing upon a victim as it returns to land 
with its pouch full of fish. 

Under the name of butcher birds are several 
members of the shrike family that have the 
somewhat unpleasant habit of impaling the 
carcases of their prey upon thorns (just as a 
human butcher would hang a joint of meat on 
a hook), in which situation they remain until 
the captors feel inclined to make a meal of 
them. 

Two species, namely the great grey-shrike 
and the red-backed shrike, are visitors to the 
British Isles. 

The former, which is about the size of a 
thrush and possesses black and white plumage, 
is known in some parts of England as the 
4 4 murdering-pie,” while in Germany it is called 
44 nuentedteo ” (nine-killer) owing to the belief 
that it always hangs up nine carcases in its 
larder before it commences to feed. Another 
name given to it in the latter country is that of 
44 suffocating angel,” but the reason for such 
a title is by no means clear, although it has 
been suggested by one writer that it is due to 
the fact that 44 the wickedness of the bird’s 
ways has rendered it fit for comparison with the 
original fallen angel in his suffocating and 
sulphuric domain.” 

The great grey-shrike feeds chiefly upon 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


229 


birds and mammals, but the smaller red-backed 
shrike usually confines itself to an insectivorous 
diet, although at times it will capture larger 
prey, such as mice, frogs and lizards. 

One would hardly expect the vocation of an 
undertaker to have its counterpart in animal 
fife, but in the burying or sexton beetles, several 
species of which are found in England, we have 
examples that resort to the practice of interring 
the carcases of any dead creatures that are not 
too large for them to deal with conveniently. 
They are extremely industrious workers, and 
it is recorded that four individuals, kept under 
observation in captivity, buried no less than 
four frogs, three small birds, two fish, a mole, 
two grasshoppers, and several fragments of 
other creatures, within the course of fifty 
days. 

When the beetles discover a dead bird, or a 
dead rat, they glide beneath it and commence 
to excavate a hole in the earth with the aid of 
their legs, the loose soil being thrown to one 
side as they proceed with their work. Gradually 
the carcase sinks into the pit thus made, until 
at last it rests below the level of the ground, 
when the diggers complete their task by throwing 
back the loose soil upon the dead body. 

The reason why the beetles undertake this 
laborious work is in order that the females 


230 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


may deposit their eggs in the buried carcase, 
the ova being hidden from the eyes of prying 
enemies, and the young being assured of a 
supply of food when they hatch out. 

Another beetle (Dytiscus marginalis) is an 
expert diver. It is found chiefly in stagnant 
waters, and swims with the aid of its strong 
hind legs which act as a pair of oars. Like 
other living creatures it requires a supply of 
air in order that it may breathe, and as it is 
unable to extract the oxygen held in the water 
in the manner that fish do through the agency 
of gills, it overcomes the difficulty by taking 
down a supply of air with it, making periodic 
journeys to the surface of the water for this 
purpose, and thrusting its tail into the atmo¬ 
sphere. The air then enters the beetle’s spiracles 
or breathing holes, from whence it is conducted 
all over the body through a number of small 
tubes, while a further supply is also carried 
between the closely-fitting wing-covers and the 
back of the body. 

A diving-beetle has been known to remain 
under-water for nearly twenty minutes on end, 
but as a rule they come to the surface for a 
fresh supply of air at intervals of about eight 
or nine minutes. They are strong flyers, an 
accomplishment that is necessary to enable 
them to reach a new habitation should the 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


231 


pond wherein they are dwelling dry up during 
the summer months. 

Even more remarkable are the habits of the 
water-spider (Argyroneta aquatica), a species 
found in ditches and ponds in the British Isles 
and other parts of Europe. It spends the 
greater part of its time under-water, even 
pursuing its prey beneath that element. When 
swimming its appearance is extremely beautiful, 
the hairs upon its body carrying and retain¬ 
ing minute bubbles of air that shine like 
silver. 

The spider spins a bell-shaped nest among 
the waterweeds for a habitation, the opening 
of the webbed structure being at the bottom. 
When this is completed, it commences to fill 
the chamber with air, frequently coming to 
the surface of the water and carrying down a 
bubble of air which is liberated beneath the 
entrance of the nest and rises to the top of the 
structure. As this work proceeds, the fairy-like 
domicile gradually gets inflated with air and 
acts as a diving-bell, so that the spider can 
dwell inside for a considerable period before 
the supply is exhausted. 

Expert divers are also to be found among 
mammals and birds ; the seal, the sea-lion and 
the walrus being the most noteworthy of the 
former, while of the latter the penguins, cor- 


232 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


morants and darters are especially gifted in 
such respect. 

The nest-building habits of birds portray 
quite a number of different vocations, those of 
the tailor, the builder and the artist all being 
represented. The bower birds, for instance, 
in addition to building nests for the reception 
of their eggs, also construct bowers or play¬ 
grounds; the feathered folk often displaying 
their artistic temperament by decorating the 
latter with flowers or bright objects such as 
shells or the brilliantly-coloured wing covers of 
beetles. The baya weaver-bird, according to 
native reports, will even fix fire-flies to its nest 
with the aid of mud for the purpose of fighting 
up its domicile at night, but the veracity of 
this statement is, to say the least, open to 
doubt. 

The weaver-birds are represented by a large 
number of species. Many of them build flask- 
shaped nests with a tubular entrance depending 
from the main structure; but the sociable 
weaver-birds, which congregate together in 
large numbers, make enormous communal nests 
in the shape of an open umbrella, the upper 
part of the structure being almost solid, while 
the lower and flat under-surface is honeycombed 
with small cavities that are the entrances to the 
individual nests. 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


233 


The tailor-bird displays even more ingenuity 
than the weaver-birds, for it builds its nest 
within the space formed by fixing the edges of 
several leaves together. In the accomplishment 
of this task the bird first of all prepares a thread 
by twisting together such material as vegetable 
fibres, the silk from cocoons, thread, wool, and 
cobwebs, after which it proceeds to pierce a 
row of holes with its beak along the edges of the 
leaves it desires to sew together. The thread 
is then passed backwards and forwards through 
the holes in the manner of a boot being laced 
up, the edges of the leaves being drawn together 
and forming a hollow cone. After this work is 
completed the bird builds a cup-shaped nest 
inside composed of fine vegetable fibres, 
horsehair and slender grass stems. 

It is not always, however, that the tailor- 
bird actually sews the leaves together, for 
occasionally it will attach them to the nest 
itself and leave the edges of the leaves free. 
Mr. Hume, in his description of the nests of 
these birds, states: “I have found them 
between two leaves, the one forming a high 
back, and turned up at the end to support the 
bottom of the nest, the other hiding the nest 
in front, and hanging down well below it, the 
tip only of the first leaf being sewn to the 
middle of the second. I have found them with 


234 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


four leaves sewn together to form a cavity and 
sides, from which the bottom of the nest 
depended bare ; and I have found them between 
two long leaves, whose sides, from the very 
tips to near the peduncles, were closely and 
neatly sewn together.” 

The tailoring trade also has its representative 
in the leaf-cutting bees which may be said to 
imitate the work of the “ cutter-out.” The 
insects bite out circular and lozenge-shaped 
pieces of leaves with the aid of their strong 
jaws, and carry away the material to their 
nests to make thimble-shaped cells wherein the 
eggs are laid; the actual nests being narrow 
tunnels excavated out of decaying wood or in 
underground burrows, although at other times 
they may be constructed in the crevices of 
walls. 

Leaf-cutting bees belong to a group known 
as solitary bees, inasmuch as they do not 
associate in communities. Seven different kinds 
are to be found in the British Isles, one of them 
being a frequenter of London suburban gardens 
as rose-growers are well aware. Although no 
definite quantity of leaf fragments is used in 
the making of a cell, yet from observations 
that have been made it appears that the average 
number employed is eleven, seven of which are 
lozenge-shaped, and four circular. How the 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


235 


bee manages to cut the portion of leaves to the 
required shape and size is a matter for wonder, 
and although no great degree of mathematical 
precision is required or can be expected in 
the accomplishment of this task, yet there can 
be little doubt that the insect has at least some 
idea as to what is necessary, and “ cuts its 
cloth ” accordingly. 

The leaves generally used in the construction 
of the cells are those of the rose, the poplar, 
the privet, the hornbeam and the poppy. 

In addition to its qualification as a tailor 
or cutter-out, the bee also follows the vocation 
of a cook, for it makes a sort of pudding by 
collecting pollen and nectar from flowers, and 
almost fills the cells with the mixture. It must 
be mentioned, however, that only the females 
are workers, the males leading a frivolous life 
unattended with parental cares. 

Within each cell a single egg is laid, and the 
entrance is then sealed up with circular pieces 
of leaves. After an interval of a few days the 
grubs hatch out and commence to feed upon 
the dainty fare that has been provided for 
their needs. 

When they have eaten up all their food they 
spin a cocoon of silk around themselves, and 
lie dormant throughout the winter months; 
but at the end of the following spring the larvae 


236 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


turn into the pupa state, and a few weeks 
later assume the winged form and become 
perfect bees. 

To mention yet another occupation, namely 
that of angling, we find that several members of 
the Animal Kingdom are exponents of the 
art; one, known as the angler-fish, the sea- 
devil, the fishing-frog or the frog-fish, being 
found in British waters. Although occasionally 
growing to a length of five feet, it usually only 
measures about a yard. 

Of a sluggish disposition, and but an in¬ 
different swimmer, the British angler-fish spends 
the greater part of its time resting upon or 
crawling along the ocean bed. Its fins are 
especially adapted for walking purposes, and 
are also utilized for scratching or stirring up 
the sand in order to arouse the curiosity of its 
prey and to conceal its own presence. But 
its chief lure is a long tentacle that arises from 
its head and terminates in a bifurcated and 
pendent growth that might easily be mistaken 
for a worm in the dim light beneath the water. 
By keeping this lure constantly on the move, 
the angler attracts other fish to their doom, 
the victims being snapped up as soon as they 
come within reach of its enormous mouth. 

The appetite of the angler appears to be 
enormous, for it is recorded that no less than 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


237 


twenty-one flounders and a John Dory were 
taken from the stomach of a captured individual. 
Even sea-birds sometimes fall victims to its 
appetite, and we are told that on one occasion 
one of these fish was discovered in the act of 
endeavouring to swallow a seagull; while even 
such indigestible items as iron grapnels and 
the cork floats of crab-pots have been known to 
be swallowed by this marine gourmand. 

Although the vocation of an aeronaut is a 
comparatively new one in regard to the human 
race, yet among animals the art of flying has 
for long been an established occupation. The 
majority of birds and insects are, of course, 
adepts in the accomplishment of aerial evolu¬ 
tions, but some of the fish, as well as a few of 
the mammals and reptiles, are also endowed 
with the power to fly. 

Of the mammalian aeronauts the bats are 
the only ones that are able to lift their bodies 
up into the air by their own physical efforts, 
the digits of their fore-limbs being very elonga¬ 
ted, and supporting a thin membrane of skin 
which serves to beat the air in the manner of 
the wings of a bird. 

Other so-called flying mammals, such as 
the flying-phalangers and the flying-squirrels, 
merely glide through the air for brief periods 
by means of stretching tight flaps of skin that 


238 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


extend from the front to the hind limbs and 
are attached to the sides of the body. These 
act like a parachute and offer sufficient resist¬ 
ance to the air to prevent the animals from 
falling straight to the ground when they launch 
themselves from the branches of trees ; while 
the distance covered during their aerial journeys 
depends upon the height from which they 
commence their downward flight. 

In a way similar to the foregoing, the flying 
geckos also receive support from membranous 
flaps of skin ; while a certain snake from Borneo 
is said to be able to glide through the air by 
holding itself straight out and depressing the 
underpart of its body so that it presents a 
concave surface to the atmosphere as the 
reptile drops obliquely from a high elevation 
to a lower one. 

In the case of the flying-fish, however, it 
is not definitely proved whether their large 
wing-like fins act only as gliders, or whether 
they are employed for beating the air when 
the creatures are in flight, some writers being 
of the opinion that they hold their wings 
motionless when thus engaged, while others 
favour the alternative theory. 

Some of the spiders undertake aerial journeys 
by means of spinning long threads of such a 
fine texture that, wafted by the breeze, they 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


239 


float upwards into the air and carry the little 
creatures with them. Darwin gives a very 
interesting account of some of these spiders, 
the author stating: “A spider . . . while 
standing on the summit of a post, darted 
forth four or five threads from its spinners. 
These, glittering in the sunshine, might be 
compared to diverging rays of light; they 
were not, however, straight, but in undulations 
like films of silk blown by the wind. They 
were more than a yard in length and diverged 
in ascending directions from the orifices. The 
spider then suddenly let go its hold of the post 
and was quickly borne out of sight.” 

We have already dealt at some length with 
the occupation of a scavenger in our chapter 
upon vultures, but there are other members 
of the feathered folk, such as the carrion- 
crow and the adjutant stork, that also ply 
this useful vocation to the benefit of mankind. 

Special mention must also be made of the 
hyenas and jackals which are partial to a diet 
of carrion. 

Then we have the signallers, as exemplified 
by the glow-worms and the fire-flies, to which 
further reference will be found in these pages; 
while the policeman is represented in animal 
life by the king vultures, the king snake and 
the king cobra, all of which exercise their 


240 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


authority over their fellows with such success 
that they are invariably treated with the 
greatest respect. It is true that fear is chiefly 
responsible for producing such a submissive 
frame of mind on the part of the subjects 
towards their overlords, and in the case of the 
king snake and king cobra discretion certainly 
proves to be the better part of valour, for if 
other snakes, be they venomous or otherwise, 
get in their way, they are promptly eaten up 
alive. 

Athletes and acrobats are to be met with 
in many forms of animal life, the monkeys, 
and especially the arboreal apes known as 
gibbons, displaying the most wonderful agility 
in their movements. Kangaroos and jerboas 
are endowed with remarkable powers of jump¬ 
ing, while in the lower members of the animal 
creation we have examples in the locusts, 
grasshoppers, crickets, frog-hoppers and fleas 
which far outstrip the efforts of the greatest 
human athlete in their leaping powers. 

The flea is able to leap two hundred times 
its own length, and it has been computed 
that if a man six feet in height were able to 
achieve a similar performance he could leap 
from Bow Church in Cheapside right over the 
top of St. Paul’s Cathedral and land at the 
bottom of Ludgate Hill. The frog-hopper, 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


241 


however, is even a greater expert than the flea, 
for it is stated to be able to jump for a distance 
exceeding two hundred and fifty times its 
own length. 

The role of schoolmaster is played by many 
animals in the tuition of their young, the 
parents frequently employing very drastic 
methods when instructing their progeny. 

The razor-bill, for instance, teaches its chicks 
to dive and swim under-water by holding them 
by the scruff of their necks and ducking them; 
while wild ducks that nest in hollows of trees, 
or some other similar situation above ground, 
push their babies overboard when they consider 
them to be sufficiently developed to begin to 
look after themselves. 

Birds also have to be taught to fly just as 
human beings have to be taught to walk, the 
parents inducing their offspring to make use 
of their wings by first of all encouraging them 
to hop from one branch to another near by, 
and then gradually increasing the distance 
so that it is necessary for them to employ 
their wings during the passage. 

The hawks and eagles train their young to 
become expert at flying by dropping a dead 
pigeon or mouse from the nest and then urging 
them to follow and catch the food in mid¬ 
air ; while the swallows and fly-catchers follow 

Q 


242 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


a similar plan by making use of a fly or some 
other insect as a lure. 

The carnivorous animals display much 
patience in teaching their young to hunt and 
track their prey, and those creatures that 
depend to a large extent upon their protective 
coloration to evade the attack of their enemies 
have to be taught the art of “ freezing ” or 
remaining motionless in times of danger. 

The duckbill or platypus, one of those 
remarkable mammals that lay eggs, induces 
its young to enter the water by ejecting a drop 
of milk therein; and the baby elephant has 
to undergo several weeks’ tuition before it is 
able to pick up anything with its trunk. 

Possibly the most curious of all animal 
vocations is that of an agriculturist, an occupa¬ 
tion that is followed by a certain species of 
ant, called the agricultural ant and found in 
Texas. Its farm, as one may well call it, is 
situated in the vicinity of its nest; a piece of 
ground rather more than a square yard in 
extent being levelled and cleared of all obstacles. 
Roadways or lanes, kept free from all weeds 
and herbage, radiate from the main clearing 
in all directions, the bare paths being about 
five inches in breadth near the nest and 
gradually tapering away as they lead to the 
surrounding fields. 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 243 

Within the cleared space around the nest 
the ants cultivate a special kind of plant 
known as ant-rice, tending it with great care 
and gathering the seeds when they are ripe. 

Whether the ant actually plants its crop 
in the first instance is a matter concerning 
which there is a great difference of opinion, 
some naturalists being of the opinion that it 
does so, while others are inclined to doubt the 
statement. 

The crop is carefully harvested and carried 
into the nest, the husks being removed and the 
seeds stored. Should any of the latter be at 
all damp, the ants bring them out on a fine day 
to dry in the sun, thereby preventing them 
from rotting and from germinating. 

The granaries wherein the seeds are stored 
are a series of chambers connected by numerous 
galleries, the latter sometimes extending to 
a depth of over three yards, although the 
former are never more than about thirty inches 
below the level of the ground. Curiously 
enough, notwithstanding that the ants feed 
upon various kinds of seeds, those of the ant- 
rice are the only ones they cultivate. When 
feeding their young the insects cover small 
portions of seed with their saliva which has 
the property of converting the starch contained 
in the food into sugar. 


Q ! 


244 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


The leaf-cutting ants ( CEcodoma) are also 
agriculturists, inasmuch as they cut away 
portions of leaves which they carry to their 
nests and form into manure beds for the 
cultivation of a special kind of fungus, upon 
which they feed. 

These “ mushroom ” beds are looked after 
with great care, the temperature of the under¬ 
ground chambers being regulated to a nicety 
by opening or closing the entrances of the 
various galleries leading thereto. 

Quite a number of animals follow the occupa¬ 
tion of a trapper. The ant-lion employs a 
most ingenious method for catching its prey, 
forming a cone-shaped pit (measuring two or 
three inches across at the top) in dry and sandy 
soil, and then burying itself at the bottom to 
await the approach of its victims. Should 
an insect investigate the nature of the pit 
and take a step over the brink, the loose sand 
gives way beneath its weight and the creature 
tumbles headlong to the bottom, right into the 
ant-lion’s jaws. Even if the victim be larger 
and stronger than the lurking foe the former 
has little chance of escape, for the more it 
struggles and endeavours to run up the sloping 
sides of the pit the more it disturbs and brings 
down the loose sand upon itself, the ant-lion 
in the meanwhile throwing the soil out again 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 


245 


as rapidly as possible so as to prevent it filling 
up the trap and enabling its prey to reach the 
surface and regain its freedom. 

The spiders exhibit remarkable ingenuity 
in the construction of traps and snares, their 
beautiful silken structures being familiar to 
every one. Some of them, however, known as 
trap-door spiders, of which the British species 
may be taken as an example, construct tubular 
tunnels in the ground, wherein they lie in wait 
for their prey. This tunnel, which is lined 
with silk, extends below ground for a distance 
varying in length from nine to fifteen inches 
and has a diameter of about three-quarters 
of an inch. The nest is continued for a short 
distance above ground by a silken tube, 
strengthened with particles of sand or earth 
which render the outside of the extension less 
noticeable than it otherwise would be. This 
external portion, forming the snare, is attached 
to the surrounding herbage, and a number of 
threads are fixed to the inside and lead down 
to the bottom of the nest. 

Reposing within her domicile, the spider 
fastens the ends of these threads to her person 
and then awaits the approach of her prey. 
Should an insect happen to alight on the trap, 
the information is instantaneously communi¬ 
cated to the spider below by means of the 


246 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


threads which act as telephone wires. It then 
creeps stealthily upwards until it reaches the 
spot where its victim, such as a fly, has alighted, 
and with a rapid dart drives its fangs right 
through the silken wall and into the body of 
the unsuspecting insect outside the snare. 
The fly is then dragged down to the bottom 
of the nest for consumption, but before the 
spider commences its meal it mends the hole 
made in the tube when pulling its victim 
through. 

Other kinds of trap-door spiders make a 
different kind of nest, the top of the tubular 
and underground structure being sealed with 
a lid that sometimes takes the form of a thin 
and flat plate overlapping the entrance to the 
burrow, but more frequently is a thick and 
perfectly-fitting plug, the edges of which are 
bevelled and fixed to the wall of the tunnel by 
silken threads that form a hinge. This type 
of nest, however, is not in the nature of a 
snare, but is merely used as a habitation, the 
spider, which goes forth at night in search of 
its prey, reposing within its fortress during the 
daytime and defying the entry of its foes by 
clinging tightly to the silken lining of the tube 
and lid. 

Brief mention must be made of those 
creatures that take up the vocations of the 


ANIMAL AVOCATIONS 247 

builder and the mason. The birds are, of 
course, the most familiar of those animals that 
specialize in building operations, but many 
mammals, such as the beaver, the squirrel, 
the harvest mouse, and others too numerous 
to mention, exhibit wonderful constructive 
ability in the building of their homes. As, 
however, our remarks upon animal avoca¬ 
tions have already extended to a considerable 
length, we must reserve to a future occasion 
a more detailed description of these interesting 
animals. 

In the mason wasp we have a creature that 
copies the work of the human mason by mixing 
up fine particles of earth with its own saliva, 
thereby producing a mortar that forms a hard 
substance when dry, the same being utilized 
in the formation of small tubular cells, about 
an inch in length, that are fixed to various 
objects such as a pebble, a wall, or the branch 
of a tree, and wherein the female insect lays 
her eggs. When the cells are completed the 
wasp proceeds to provide for the needs of her 
prospective family by placing small cater¬ 
pillars inside to serve as food when the grubs 
hatch out, the caterpillars being rendered 
inactive, but not being killed, by the wasp, who 
stings them in such a manner as to paralyse 
them. 


248 


ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 


Having done this, she completes her work 
by closing up the entrance to the cells. 

Before ending our remarks we will refer 
briefly to the doctors or apothecaries of animal 
life, among which are to be numbered the cats 
and dogs that are in the habit of eating grass 
as a medicine. It has even been stated that 
the mongoose, when bitten by a venomous 
snake, will search for and eat certain herbs 
to act as an antidote to the poison, but this 
story, it should be mentioned, is not based 
upon fact. 


INDEX 


A 

Achatina, 170 
Aethoprora , 143 
Agricultural ant, 242 
Amazon ant, 224 
Amblyopsis, 205 
Amphisbaena, 209 
Anableps, 212 
Angler fish, 236 
Animals and the weather, 
88 

Animal avocations, 217 
Animals that change colour, 
67 

Ant lion, 244 
Archer fish, 223 
Argonaut, 60, 158 
Arius, 39 
Astronesthes, 143 

B 

Barbary lamb, 53 
Barnacle goose, 53 
Basilisk, 48 
Bat, voice of, 18 
Beetle, death watch, 31, 61 
Bell bird, 24 

Birds with queer beaks, 77 
Blind mole, 203 
Blind snake, 210 
Blind worm, 44 
Boat-billed heron, 82 


Bolti, 40 

Bombardier beetle, 222 
Bow-fin, 26, 37 
Burying beetle, 229 
Butcher bird, 228 
Butter-fish, 42 

C 

Calling hare, 22 
Calmaries, 160 
Catfish, voice of, 26 
Centipedes, luminous, 149 
Ceratophrys, 127 
Chameleon, 67, 215 
Cicadas, 30 
Cichlidae, 40 
Concerning vultures, 186 
Coral, light bearing, 147 
Crab, beckoning, 110 

— countryman, 108 

— edible, 105 

-— graspus, 114 

— hermit, 115 

— homing instinct of, 104 

— Kampfer’s, 107 

— king, 116 

— land, 108 

— luminous, 145 

— masked, 118 

— moulting period of, 103 

— pea, 117 

— river, 108 


249 


250 


INDEX 


Crab, robber, 112 

— spider, 106 

— stone, 107 

— swimming, 106 
Crabs, A talk about, 102 
Crane, 64 

Crossbill, 78 
Crow, piping, 25 
Cuttle-bone, 161, 165 
Cuttle-fish, 160, 165 

— eggs of, 166 
Cynoglossus, 26 

D 

Death’s head moth, 32, 61 
Death-tick beetle, 31, 61 
Decapods, 160 
Dhole, 219 
Diving beetle, 230 
Dog days, 99 

Dolphin, long snouted, 202 
Double-eyes, 212 
Dragons, 51 
Driving ant, 225 

E 

Earwig, 61 

Elephant, voice of, 20 

F 

Fire-flies, 150 

Fish, cause of silvery ap¬ 
pearance, 72 

— colour transformation of, 

71 

— fighting, 39, 71 

— luminous, 143 

— nests of, 33 

— voice of, 26 


Flamingo, 56, 83 
Flea, leaping power of, 240 
Flying mammals, 237 
Flying snake, 238 
Four-eyed fish, 212 
Frigate bird, 83, 227 
Frog, barking, 127 

— bull, 126, 127 

— colour transformation of, 

69 

— common, 133 

— Darwin’s, 132 
-— edible, 134 

— foretells weather, 97 

— giant, 126 

— hairy, 123 

— horned, 127 

— shower of, 137 

— smooth-clawed, 125 

— tigrine, 126 

— tree, 129 

— voice of, 28 

G 

Gecko, voice ot, 28 
Glow worm, 149 
Goby, 35 
Gorilla, 91 
Grunting ox, 21 
Gunnel, 42 
Gymnarchus, 37 

H 

Hoop snake, 46 
Hornbill, 79 
Howler monkey, 17 
Huia bird, 86 
Hunting dog, 18, 219 
Hyena, 19 


INDEX 


251 


L 

Lammergeier, 186, 190 
Lamprey, 36 
Lantern fly, 151 
Leaf-cutting ant, 244 
Leaf-cutting bee, 234 
Liver fluke, 178 
Luminous animals, 140 

M 

Mailed cat-fish, 39 
Mason wasp, 247 
Mermaid, 58 
Mole rat, 204 
Moon fish, 144 
Mouse, singing, 21 

N 

Nautilus, 60, 158 
Nightingale, 23 
Night-jar, 86 

No eyes, and multiple eyes, 
202 

Noctiliica. 141 

O 

Octopus, 73, 154 
Olm, 206 
Open-bill, 86 
Organ bird, 25 

P 

Paradise fish, 38 
Parson bird, 26 
Pearl-side, 144 
Pelican, 84 

Pharaoh’s chicken, 194 
Phoenix, 49 


Phosphorescence of the sea, 
140, 142 
Pica, 22 
Piddock, 148 
Pipe-fish, 41 
Piping crow, 25 
Piping hare, 22 
Prawn, iEsop’s, 73 

— luminous, 145 
Procession moth, 221 
Proteus, 206 
Puffin, 87 
Pyrosoma, 146 

S 

Salmon, spawning habits 
of, 36 

Scissor-bill, 85 
Sea adder, 35 
Sea-cock, 26 

Seagulls foretell weather, 
96 

Sea-horse, 41 
Sea-lion, 19 
Sea mops, 162 
Sea pen, 149 
Sea serpent, 51 
Secretary bird, 200 
Sepia, 160, 165 
Sepiola, 163 
Sexton beetle, 229 
Shoebffl, 81 
Shrew, 55 
Shrike, 228 

Shrimp, luminous, 145 
Slow worm, 44 
Slug, 183 

Snail, abnormal variety, 174 

— amphibious, 179 


252 


INDEX 


Snail, as fortune teller, 54 

— common, 170 

— edible, 175 

— giant, 170, 180 

— pond, 179 

— ramshorn, 179 

— strength of, 172 

— tongue of, 171 

— viviparous, 179 

— water, 178 

— wood, 169 
Snake, voice of, 29 
Spider crab, 106 
Squat lobster, 118 
Squid, 160, 161, 163 
Starling, 26 
Sticklebacks, 33 

Stoat, seasonal change of 
coat, 74 
Sim fish, 144 
Susu, 202 

T 

Tailless hare, 22 
Tailor bird, 233 
Talking birds, 25 
Tench, 63, 71 
Thornback crab, 106 
Toad, common, 133 

— embedded in rock, 46 

— giant, 127 

— midwife, 132 

— natterjack, 136 

— Surinam, 123 
Toucan, 80 
Trap-door spider, 245 
Tuatera lizard, 213 



Tub fish, 26 
Tube-mouth, 41 
Tuco-tuco, 21 
Tui bird, 26 
Turkey buzzard, 197 

U 

Unicorn, 50 

Unnatural Natural History, 
44 

y 

Variable lizard, 69 
Voice of animals, 15 
Vulture, bearded, 186, 190 

— black, 199 

— Californian, 197 

— condor, 195 
-— eared, 193 

— Egyptian, 186, 194 

— griffon, 186, 191 

— king, 193, 199 

— turkey, 197 

W 

Warrior ants, 224 
Water spider, 231 
Weaver bird, 232 
Whale-headed heron, 81 
Whelk, 170, 172 
Worm, luminous, 148 
Wren, 65 

Y 

Yak, 21 


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